- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Syrian Rebels Claim Capturing President Assad’s Cousin

Subscribe
Syrian rebels have claimed capturing Housam al-Assad, the cousin of President Bashar al-Assad, the Saudi-owned news channel Al Arabiya reported on Sunday.

Syrian rebels have claimed capturing Housam al-Assad, the cousin of President Bashar al-Assad, the Saudi-owned news channel Al Arabiya reported on Sunday.

Assad’s cousin was arrested by the al-Farouq brigade of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), Sheikh Adnan Al Arour, a Sunni Muslim preacher and a major Salafist leader in Syria, announced on his Twitter account.

“Housam al-Assad, the cousin of Bashar has been captured,” Sheikh Arour said.

The 73-year-old Arour fled Syria under the rule of Hafez Al Assad following the 1982 massacre in his hometown of Hama and settled in Saudi Arabia ever since. He has become one of the symbolic figures of the Syrian uprising against the Assad regime.

The Syrian conflict has claimed up to 20,000 lives according to various Syrian opposition groups. The UN puts the death toll at over 18,000 people. The Syrian authorities say 8,000 were killed.

The West is pushing for President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster while Russia and China are trying to prevent outside interference in Syria, saying that the Assad regime and the opposition are both to blame for the bloodshed.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала