Damaskus (AFP) – Syrians celebrate the end of ousted president Bashar al-Assad’s rule. Assad fled Syria as Islamist-led rebels swept into the capital, bringing a spectacular end to five decades of brutal rule by his clan over a country ravaged by one of the deadliest wars of the century. While Syria has been at war for over 13 years, the government’s collapse ended up coming in a matter of days, with a lightning offensive launched by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
