Damascus, Dec 9 (FN Agency) The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Sunday it continued to provide humanitarian assistance in Syria. “The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is following closely the recent developments and the humanitarian situation in Syria. The life-saving work of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) volunteers continues, and its branches spread all over the country are committed to supporting people in need. They continue to provide food, water, and basic items, emergency health care and support to hospitals with medical supplies and clean and safe water,” the statement says.
Syrian armed groups captured the national capital of Damascus on Sunday. Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali said that he and 18 other ministers had decided to remain in Damascus. Al-Jalali also said he had contacted the leaders of militant groups that entered the city. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Syrian President Bashar Assad had stepped down and left Syria after negotiations with some participants of the Syrian conflict. On Sunday, December 8, a source in the Kremlin told RIA Novosti that Assad and members of his family had arrived in Moscow, and Russia had granted them asylum on humanitarian grounds. The source also noted that Russian officials were in contact with representatives of the armed Syrian opposition, whose leaders have guaranteed the security of Russian military bases and diplomatic institutions in Syria.