Statues of president’s father dragged through Syrian streets

New Delhi: People who welcomed the rebel fighters in Syrian capital Damascus have pulled down statues of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad’s father and former President Hafez Al-Assad in several places in the city on Sunday.

Footage showed people massing around a huge bust of the former President and tearing it down, while another visual showed a statue’s head being dragged along a street, according to reports.

As rebel forces headed to the capital, President Bashar Al Assad fled the country to an unknown destination, according to reports.

Hafez Al-Assad started out as prime minister after seizing power through a coup in 1970, before continuing as Syria's President till his death in 2000.

Hafez Al-Assad’s rule, however autocratic, was widely considered to have given the country stability, making it a major force in the Middle East.

Succeeding his father, Bashar Al Assad remained in power for over two decades before fleeing the country on Sunday.

Rebels surged through the streets of capital Damascus Sunday morning suggesting the fall of the regime.

People pulled down the statues of former president and in one instance a vehicle dragged a statue's head through the road with many chasing to kick it.

Alongside there ranged out celebratory firing with people chanting 'Allahu Akbar' in the backdrop.

Al Assad's fall began after he repressed peaceful anti-government protests in 2011.

The protests overtime snowballed into major conflict involving foreign powers, leaving half a million people dead and displacing many more.