War monitor says Assad has fled Syria after rebels enter capital
The government denied rumors that Assad had fled the country
The head of a Syrian opposition war monitor said early Sunday,
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"Syria’s President Bashar Assad left the country for an undisclosed location"
Rami Abdurrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told The Associated Press,
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"Assad took a flight from Damascus early Sunday"
The insurgents’ march
Abdurrahman’s comments came shortly after Syrian insurgents said they had entered Damascus, capping a stunning advance across the country as residents of the capital reported sounds of gunfire and explosions
The fall of Damascus would leave government forces in control of only two of 14 provincial capitals: Latakia and Tartus
Assad’s status
The rapid rebel gains, coupled with the lack of support from Assad’s erstwhile allies, posed the most serious threat to his rule since the start of the war
Diplomacy in Doha
The foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey, meeting in Qatar, called for an end to the hostilities Turkey is a main backer of the rebels
*Karam reported from London. Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria; Abby Sewell in Beirut; Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad; Josef Federman and Victoria Eastwood in Doha, Qatar; and Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington contributed to this report
