Syria civil war: Statues of Bashar al-Assad’s father toppled, trampled in various cities

Damascus woke up in rebel hands on Sunday as President Bashar al-Assad ‘fled the country’ for an undisclosed location. Visuals from Damascus showed locals celebrating as they stood on a torn down and smashed statue of his father Hafez al-Assad. Elsewhere they dragged the head of another statue along the road and trampled on motifs featuring the late President.

The shock offensive began on November 27 as gunmen captured the northern city of Aleppo and swathes of the northwest. They have continued to advance over the past 10 days — taking over key cities including Hama. The offensive is led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group which has its origins in the al-Qaida. It is considered a terrorist organisation by the US and the United Nations.

Visuals from various cities showed protesters coming together to remove all traces of the Assad family over the past few days. AFPTV images also showed Syrians in the capital Damascus cheering on Sunday as they trampled on a toppled statue of President Bashar al-Assad's father.

Hafez al-Assad seized power in a bloodless coup more than 50 years ago — setting up a brutal regime where anyone could be jailed or killed under suspicion of dissent. Bashar al-Assad was elected weeks after his father’s death in 2000. Statues and images of the family remained a powerful symbol in Syria until this week — with photos pasted on walls, institutions, offices and schools around the country.

Photos from the Jaramana suburb of Damascus showed protesters bringing down a statue of the late leader in the earlier this week as others cheered and chanted in elation. The visuals were posted on social media and verified by AFP.

Meanwhile in Aleppo — the first city captured by the rebels last week — people were seen toppling statues of Bashar al-Assad's brother Bassel and their father. Footage from Daraa in southern Syria showed a rebel fighter driving a motorbike down a road and dragging a toppled statue of Hafez al-Assad behind him.

(With inputs from agencies)