Jihadists claim they’ve taken power in Syria

Jihadists and other anti-government militias entered and reportedly took control of the Syrian capital, Damascus on Saturday. They have declared the city “free” from President Bashar Assad’s government and claimed that he has fled the capital.

According to Reuters, citing two senior army officers, Assad, who ruled the Middle Eastern country for almost a quarter of a century, flew out of Damascus on Saturday evening “for an unknown destination.” Hours earlier, the jihadists announced that they had gained full control over the key city of Homs, after only a day of fighting.

Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad al-Jalali has offered to cooperate “with any leadership chosen by the people,” adding that he remains in his home.

HTS, a group led by a former Al-Qaeda commander and previously known as Jabhat al-Nusra, launched a surprise offensive from the opposition-held province of Idlib in northern Syria just last week. Jihadists have already driven the Syrian Army from the cities of Aleppo, Hama, Homs, and Al-Qusayr at the border with Lebanon.

The US-sponsored Free Syrian Army (FSA) has taken control of the ancient site of Palmyra, while the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) also backed by the US have seized Deir ez-Zor in the east of the country.

The Syrian authorities have been embroiled in several localized conflicts since 2011, when various anti-government groups first sought to unseat Assad. Jihadist forces, particularly those receiving military assistance from abroad, have emerged as dominant players among the opposition.