Coup in Damascus, al-Asad in Exile
Damascus, Syria
Through a coup d’état in the Syrian capital this morning, members of a secret military fraternity calling itself the Revolutionary Officers’ Corps have ousted President Bashar al-Asad and declared a revolutionary government in the country. The leader of the coup is apparently former defense minister Salah al-Din as-Saleh, rumored to have fallen out in recent months with President al-Asad following the latter’s announcement of a sweeping reform program in the nation that was to include such measures as a schedule for free national elections and vast economic liberalization. As-Saleh and his fellow conspirators have announced that they represent an organization known as the “New” Ba’ath Party, which will embody a return to the party’s classic values of unity, liberty, and socialism.
A Bloodless Coup
As-Saleh’s coup so far appears to have been a bloodless one, as units from the 6th Syrian armored division entered the city at around five AM local time, arriving from a nearby military base. Former President al-Asad was apparently roused from his bed and brought downstairs, where he was confronted with the news that he had been deposed and was to enter exile immediately. The bewildered Syrian President was rushed to the airport, where his plane took off roughly twenty minutes later, landing an hour after that in neighboring Jordan. Too bewildered to give a statement himself, the President’s wife stated that she was certain the Israeli government was behind this “remorseless display of imperialist-zionist conspiracy against the great Syrian nation.”
Back to basics
Though the coup is not even a day old, as-Saleh wasted no time in addressing the nation from a television station in Damascus; one of the first targets to be seized. He began by criticizing al-Asad’s reform program, which he claimed was “certain to diminish the prestige of the Syrian nation and her people.” He announced that a revolutionary junta was being formed from members of the Revolutionary Officers’ Corps of the New Ba’ath Party, and announced that a curfew would be in effect in Damascus for the near future. His promises, while vague, alluded to a return to the values of the party’s founders, Michel Aflaq and Salah Bitar…