Syria – latest: Russia scrabbles to secure bases after Assad overthrow

There are “tens of dead bodies” littering the streets in Syria following the lightning offensive which led to the fall of the decades-long Assad family dynasty.

“Our teams are burying the dead bodies. There are tens of dead bodies in the streets everywhere, especially for regime soldiers,” Farouq Habib, group deputy general manager of the Syrian White Helmets, told The Independent.

“We document and bury them with dignity, and hopefully in the future, we will deliver them to their families.”

There are “no prisoners left in Saydnaya [prison]”, a senior member of the Syrian White Helmets has told The Independent.

Reports that there were prisoners trapped in underground cells in Saydnaya, in Damascus – one of the most notorious prisons of the Bashar al-Assad’s regime – sparked a major search operation led by Syria’s civil defense, known as the White Helmets.

Farouq Habib, the group deputy general manager of the Syrian White Helmets, said: “There are no prisoners left in Saydnaya. Five Helmet teams arrived there, fully equipped with sniffer dogs.

“We made contact with former regime officers who worked on the prison and researched everything. There are no hidden cells in the prison. There has been a lot of rumors and misinformation, but nothing there.

“What we are very worried about are the other secret prisons. There are secret prisons across Syria, in military bases, in Shabiha bases. There are private prisons, prisons made by shabiha.”

Shabiha militias are loosely-organised armed groups who were loyal to the Assad regime and were utilised in earlier phases of the Syrian civil war.

Russian president Vladimir Putin personally gave asylum to former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad after his regime was toppled over the weekend.

There is no meeting scheduled between Putin and Assad, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The Kremlin sees an international situation with high potential for conflict following recent developments.

“We see the situation around Ukraine, we see many contradictory statements in this regard, we see a growing conflict potential in other regions, we can say the burning Middle East,” Peskov said.

Russia is holding talks about the security of its citizens in Syria, foreig intelligence chief Sergei Naryshkin said according to Interfax news agency.

It comes after the Kremlin said earlier today that it would be “premature” to discuss the future of Russian military bases in Syria.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “It’s premature to talk about it yet. This is all a subject for discussion with those who will be in power in Syria.

“Of course, everything is being done now that is necessary and everything that is possible in order to get in touch with those who can deal with security. And, of course, our military is also taking all necessary precautions.”

Russia has a number of key military bases in Syria, including Hmeimim airbase in Syria’s Latakia province and a naval facility on the coast at Tartous.

The Government has had “no contact or no request” for the British wife of Bashar al-Assad to come to the UK, a Cabinet minister has said.

Pat McFadden told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the issue is “not something that’s been raised” with the Government.

Asma Assad was born in London in 1975, and was raised and educated in the city. She is now believed to be in Moscow with her husband, where the ousted Syrian leader has fled.

Read the full report by our political correspondent Millie Cooke:

The Syrian rebel group which spearheaded the lightning advance which toppled the Syrian regime will be judged by its treatment of minorities, Berlin has said.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al-Qaeda affiliate, led the advance towards and into Damascus, forcing former president Bashar al-Assad to leave the country.

A spokesperson for the German foreign ministry said on Monday: “In recent months and years, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham HTS has endeavored to distance itself from its jihadist origins and to build up civilian structures.”

“Whether these efforts can now be taken seriously will be seen in particular in the treatment of civilians and especially minorities in the areas they now control.”

The UN’s human rights chief has urged “accountability” for those within former president Bashar al-Assad’s regime who perpetrated abuse on the Syrian population.

Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, also said there was a real chance for an inclusive dialogue on Syria’s future.

“Any political transition must ensure accountability for perpetrators of serious violations, and guarantee that those responsible are held to account,” he told a press briefing in Geneva.

“What needs to happen in Syria itself is to build up a domestic legal system that allows for fair trials, in relation to all those where there are serious grounds to believe that they have committed atrocity crimes.

“And that goes also for the former president of Syria and whoever was in senior leadership positions,” he said.

There is a “huge chance” for an “inclusive, very inclusive dialogue,” he added. “And what we have seen initially is indeed cooperation.”

Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the militant leader whose stunning insurgency toppled Syria’s President Bashar Assad, has spent years working to remake his public image, renouncing longtime ties to al-Qaida and depicting himself as a champion of pluralism and tolerance.

In recent days, the insurgency even dropped his nom de guerre and began referring to him by his real name, Ahmad al-Sharaa.

The extent of that transformation from jihadi extremist to would-be state builder is now put to the test.