Assad flees to Moscow, rebels capture Damascus

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family have fled Syria for Moscow Sunday.

Faced with protests starting in March 2011, Assad used the same tactics his father had to crush dissent with support from Russia and Iran. As the uprising continued, a civil war emerged and he used his military to blast opposition-held cities.

International rights group have alleged widespread use of torture and extrajudicial killings. More than half a million people have been killed.

Arriving in Moscow, Assad has been granted political asylum, Russian state media said.

Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the leader of the main rebel group in Damascus, called the situation a "victory for the entire Islamic nation."