Syrian premier says unaware of Assad’s whereabouts after regime collapse

BEIRUT

Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali said Sunday that he was unaware of the whereabouts of President Bashar al-Assad.

"I have no information about his whereabouts,” he told Al-Arabiya channel.

He said his last contact with Assad occurred on Saturday to discuss a service issue.

“Since then, I have no information about the ousted Syrian president or his defense minister,” he added.

Assad fled Syria to an unknown location after anti-regime groups took control of the capital Damascus early Sunday, marking the collapse of the Baath Party regime, which had been in power in Syria since 1963.

It came almost a week after anti-regime groups seized control of Aleppo, a major city in northern Syria.

Foreign media said that Assad may have fled Syria to Russia or a neighboring Middle Eastern state.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara