Ammon News - In the early hours of Sunday, opposition forces declared Syria liberated from President Bashar al-Assad's rule as they advanced into the capital.

Reports indicate that the former president fled Damascus and later surfaced in Russia with his family after being granted asylum there on humanitarian grounds.

The dramatic end to over 53 years of al-Assad family rule has been hailed as a historic turning point, marking nearly 14 years since Syrians first staged peaceful protests against a government that responded with violence, sparking a protracted and bloody civil war.

When did it begin?

On November 27, a coalition of opposition forces launched a decisive offensive against pro-government troops.

The initial assault targeted the front line between opposition-controlled Idlib and the adjacent Aleppo governorate.

Within three days, opposition fighters captured Aleppo, Syria's second-largest city.