Former Syrian leader Bashar al Assad has issued his first statement since the fall of his regime.
In a social media post, he claimed he planned to continue fighting rebel forces before Russia evacuated him, according to foreign media.
The comments, the first in public since the overthrow of his regime more than a week ago, were made on the Syrian Presidency's Telegram channel.
The statement said he left Damascus for Russia on December 8 - "one day after the fall" of the city, adding: "At no time during these events did I consider resigning or seeking refugee status."
"The only course of action was to continue the fight against the terrorist attack."
Assad fled the Syrian capital after a lightning offensive by anti-regime forces across the country - bringing his 24-year rule to an abrupt end.
He claimed he had remained in Damascus "carrying out my duties" until rebel forces entered the city and only then, in coordination with Russian forces, was he moved to Moscow's base in the coastal province of Latakia.
Assad claimed he planned to keep fighting.
But as it appeared that his forces had completely collapsed in the face of the rebel advance, the air base where he was staying was attacked by drones, he said.
"With no possible means of leaving the base, Moscow requested that the base command organize an immediate evacuation to Russia on the evening of Sunday, December 8," he added.
His whereabouts, as well as those of his wife Asma and their three children, were initially unknown until Russia said Assad had left Syria after negotiations with rebel groups.
Assad also claimed that he had "never sought positions for personal gain" and instead considered himself "a guardian of a national project, supported by the trust of the Syrian people".
However, he apparently does not talk about a possible return.
Now that the Assad regime has fallen, ending more than 50 years of his family's rule, the death toll from the war and destruction that marked his time is now dwindling.
The UN estimated last year that over 300,000 civilians had been killed by the end of March 2021 in the conflict.
In 2021, researchers estimated that another 250,000 combatants had been killed in the first ten years of the civil war.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) estimated that Iranian government forces and allied militias were responsible for around 87% of these deaths.
The victims include almost 30,000 children.
Assad's government also institutionalized torture, according to human rights groups.
Assad's infamous Sednaya prison complex was dubbed the "People's Slaughterhouse" where prison guards carried out mass hangings and executions, Amnesty International said in a 2017 report. (A2 Televizion)
A2 CNN Livestream
MUND TE LEXONI GJITHASHTU
