India’s Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday said 75 Indian nationals, including 44 people from Jammu and Kashmir, were evacuated from Syria, two days after rebel forces overthrew former President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
In a statement, MEA said: “The Government of India today evacuated 75 Indian nationals from Syria, following recent developments in that country. The evacuees included 44 ‘zaireen’ from Jammu & Kashmir who were stranded at Saida Zainab.”
All the evacuated Indian nationals have ‘safely’ crossed to Lebanon.
The Ministry said they will return to India on commercial flights.
“The evacuation, coordinated by the embassies of India in Damascus and Beirut, was put into effect following our assessment of the security situation and requests from Indian nationals in Syria,” MEA said in the statement.
“The Government of India accords the highest priority to the safety and security of Indian nationals abroad. Indian nationals remaining in Syria are advised to stay in touch with the Indian Embassy in Damascus at their emergency helpline number +963 993385973 (also on WhatsApp) and email ID (hoc.damascus@mea.gov.in) for updates,” the statement said.
What happened in Syria?
Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year-old regime ended after rebel forces took control of the capital Damascus city after capturing several other crucial cities in the country.
The former President reportedly fled to Russia.
According to local Russian media reports, Moscow will grant asylum to Assad.
Assad’s tenure was known for civil war and the brutal crackdown on his political opponents.
Barely 48 hours since opposition forces, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), swept into Damascus and forced out President Bashar al-Assad, the top UN negotiator tasked with helping the Syrian people to create a peaceful and democratic future insisted that nothing could be taken for granted.
“Syria is now at a crossroads with great opportunities for us, but also with grave risks. And we need really to look at both,” said Geir Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria. “We know that, of course, HTS is now the dominant group in control of Damascus, but it’s important also to remember that they are not the only armed group in Damascus.”
Amid images of jubilant scenes on the streets of the capital following the end of the Assad regime, Pedersen cautioned that the transfer of power had been accompanied by reports of robberies and the “invasion of public buildings or private homes. But this seems to have stopped and that is a good thing,” he told journalists in Geneva.
