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Justin Worland, Time: What We Know About the Lives of Bashar al-Assad and His Family
Syria's dictator appeared on the world stage again in Moscow on Wednesday. Where has he been?
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s trip to Russia Tuesday marked his first known travels outside his country since its civil war began in 2011. Assad’s family also appears to have remained in the country’s capital for the past half decade.
The trip to Moscow, reportedly at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, marks a show of strength for Assad. In addition to showing his ties a powerful ally, Assad’s move demonstrates that he doesn’t fear his government will be overthrown in his short but notable absence.
The family is apparently based in the capital, Damascus, which remains relatively untouched by the violence that has raged in the eastern parts of the country. But the presidential palace, which was reported to cost up to $1 billion and sits atop a hill outside the city, reportedly serves primarily as a workplace. Assad and his family live “elsewhere,” according to a Daily Telegraph interview conducted in the palace’s guest house in February. It’s unclear how often the palace is used, author Jeremy Bowen reports:
WNU Editor: I do not think anyone knows how they are living now ..... but one thing is sure .... their lives will never be what it once was.
1 comment:
looks like a normal family to me ..
How else other than being a tough dictator could you run a country full of so many different religious backgrounds that all hate each other and yet must form a workable society?
Libya was not much different and the people were happy enough with Qaddafi and then we arrived ..
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