Tons of of Syrians celebrated the autumn of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in joyous scenes on Sunday outdoors the Fatih Mosque in central Istanbul, one of many focal factors for his or her 500,000-strong Syrian group within the Turkish metropolis.
Turkey has grow to be residence for thousands and thousands of Syrians who fled since civil battle erupted of their residence nation in 2011.
“I did not anticipate it to occur sooner or later, not even in three centuries. Nobody was anticipating this. This can be a big victory for us,” stated Mohamad Cuma, a pupil who arrived from the northern Syrian metropolis of Aleppo three years in the past.
“It is unbelievable. It is like we have been born once more,” stated Sawsan al-Ahmad, holding her younger son by the hand.
Ahmad lived by way of the primary few months of the siege of the strategic metropolis of Homs.
She stated she was delighted to have the ability to take her son to her “residence soil”, now that Assad has fallen after a lightning offensive by Islamist-led rebels.
Insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and allied factions seized swathes of Syria from authorities arms, together with the cities of Aleppo, Hama and Homs in an offensive that began November 27.
Early on Sunday they entered the capital, Damascus, declaring the demise of an Assad dynasty that had dominated Syria with an iron fist for 5 a long time.
Behind Ahmad, a whole lot of Syrians chanted “Allahu akhbar” (“God is biggest”).
Some waved Syrian opposition flags and known as for Assad to be executed.
In the course of the jubilant throng, whose chanting could possibly be heard a whole lot of metres (yards) away, a person waved a portrait of Abdel-Basset al-Sarout, a former Syrian soccer star who grew to become a insurgent fighter and was killed in 2019 in clashes with Assad’s forces.
– ‘He’ll find yourself in hell’ –
“Immediately is a day of big celebration for us Syrians,” stated 42-year-old Ibrahim al-Mohamed, one of many three million Syrian refugees residing in neighbouring Turkey.
“My son grew to become handicapped due to Assad,” he stated, his eyes purple and his voice cracking with emotion.
“We had been residing in Aleppo and a bomb was dropped on the constructing subsequent door. My son was traumatised. He misplaced the power to talk. He is 13 now and simply beginning to get just a little bit higher.”
“God be praised. We’re rid of Assad,” stated Ahmed Mohamad, a instructor of the Koran who got here to Turkey from Aleppo 11 years in the past after defecting from the Syrian military.
“If God wills, he’ll be decapitated,” added an onlooker, drawing his thumb throughout his throat.
Cuma stated he did not care what grew to become of Assad.
“It is sufficient that he is gone,” he stated.
“He can go to stay in Russia, in Belarus, in Venezuela, wherever the hell he needs to go. Let him go as a result of he’ll find yourself in hell.”
Cuma stated he anticipated the entire of Syria would “be unified beneath one flag” and predicted 50 p.c of Syrian refugees in Turkey would return residence.
He stated the reported fall of the Assad regime had altered his private plans.
“Properly, my plan earlier than this week was to pursue a Masters (diploma) within the UK,” defined the civil engineering pupil at Istanbul’s prestigious Bogazici College.
“However now I believe I could possibly be a profit for Syria’s future and reconstruction. So most likely I will return.”
