Russia has granted asylum to former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and his family on humanitarian grounds, said foreign media. Russian media confirmed that Bashar al-Assad and his family are now in Russia. Earlier, conflicting reports about his death in a plane crash had surfaced. Foreign media reports indicate that Assad fled in an aircraft to an undisclosed location before rebels entered the Syrian capital, Damascus. Bashar al-Assad fled Damascus early on December 8 aboard an IL-76 (YK-ATA), but his exact whereabouts remain unknown. Radar data available for two minutes showed Assad’s plane descending from an altitude of 8,725 feet, with its speed dropping from 819 km/h to 159 km/h and eventually to 64 km/h. Some unverified reports suggest the plane may have crashed, but no confirmation of this has been provided. More from this category Copyright ©2024. Reproduction of this website's content without express written permission from 'Daily Pakistan' is strictly prohibited.