A long road ahead to decide Syria’s future after rapid end to Assad’s rule

BEIRUT (AP) — For the first time in 50 years, the question of how Syria will be governed is wide open. The end of the Assad family's rule is for many Syrians a moment of mixed joy and fear, of the total unknown. The insurgency that swept President Bashar Assad out of power is...

Who is Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of the insurgency that toppled Syria's Assad?

BEIRUT (AP) — Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the militant leader whose stunning insurgency toppled Syria’s President Bashar Assad, has spent years working to remake his public image, renouncing longtime ties to al-Qaida and depicting himself as a champion of pluralism and tolerance. As he entered...

Ousted Syrian leader Assad flees to Moscow after fall of Damascus, Russian state media say

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad fled to Moscow and received asylum from his longtime ally, Russian media said Sunday, hours after a stunning rebel advance seized control of Damascus and ended his family’s 50 years of iron rule. Thousands of Syrians poured...

Global reaction to Assad's sudden ouster from Syria ranges from jubilation to alarm

Across the Middle East and beyond, the fall of Syria’s authoritarian government at the hands of jihadi militants set off waves of jubilation, trepidation and alarm. Expatriate Syrians and many residents across the Middle East exulted at the overthrow of a leader who led his country...

How it happened: Two seismic weeks that toppled Syria's government

LONDON (AP) — Half a century of rule by the Assad family in Syria crumbled with astonishing speed after insurgents burst out of a rebel-held enclave and converged on the capital, Damascus, taking city after city in a matter of days. Opposition forces swept across the country and...

The fall of Bashar Assad after 13 years of war in Syria brings to an end a decades-long dynasty

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad fled the country on Sunday, bringing to a dramatic close his nearly 14-year struggle to hold onto control as his country fragmented in a brutal civil war that became a proxy battlefield for regional and international powers. The exit of...

Head of Syria's biggest rebel faction in first appearance since Assad's fall calls it "a victory to the Islamic nation."

Where Turkey stands as Syrian government falls to opposition insurgents

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Syrian refugees across Turkey jubilantly welcomed the downfall of Bashar Assad’s government Sunday, with many embracing the chance to return to their homeland. Large crowds waving Syrian and Turkish flags gathered in the main square of Kilis, a border city...

Supporters of Bangladesh Nationalist Party march in protest at attacks in India

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Thousands of members of three youth and student bodies belonging to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party marched toward the Indian High Commission in the country's capital on Sunday to denounce attacks on a diplomatic mission and alleged desecration of Bangladeshi flags in...

Why the rebel capture of Syria's Hama, a city with a dark history, matters

BEIRUT (AP) — It was one of the darkest moments in the modern history of the Arab world. More than four decades ago, Hafez Assad, then president of Syria, launched what came to be known as the Hama Massacre. Between 10,000 to 40,000 people were killed or disappeared in the...