Assad Breaks His Silence: Fleeing Syria Wasn't My Idea

Bashar al-Assad has spoken out for the first time since he fled Syria—and he says his exit from the country he ruled with an iron fist for nearly 25 years wasn't his idea. In an online statement, Assad says he first went to a Russian base on the coast when militants stormed the capital of Damascus, reports the AP. The plan was to fight from there, but he says the base itself in the coastal province of Latakia soon came under attack, too. At that point, the Russians flew him to Moscow. "I did not leave the country as part of a plan as it was reported earlier," Assad said.

"Moscow requested that the base's command arrange an immediate evacuation to Russia," reads the statement, per al Jazeera. Assad said he left a day after the fall of Damascus, amid the collapse of military and state institutions. "At no point during these events did I consider stepping down or seeking refuge, nor was such a proposal made by any individual or party," he said. "The only course of action was to continue fighting against the terrorist onslaught." He said he hoped that Syria "will once again be free and independent." (Families are seeking loved ones who disappeared in Assad's notorious prison system.)