Headline : The swift fall of Syrias Assad brings moments inconceivable under his iron rule

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It took barely 10 days for Syria’s insurgents to march from their stronghold in the northwest into Damascus and bring an end to the Assad family rule that had gripped the country for half a century. Every step of the way brought moments that would have been unbelievable only days earlier.

Raising their hands and automatic rifles into the air, insurgents rode out of their enclave in Idlib province on Nov. 28. Some wore Islamic extremist emblems on their uniforms, a sign of the jihadi roots of the leading insurgent faction, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

First to fall was Syria’s largest city, Aleppo, with a swiftness that may have amazed even the fighters. They celebrated by taking photos of each other stomping on a poster of President Bashar Assad in his sunglasses and military uniform. At the airport, they tore down a poster glorifying the ruling family — Bashar; his father and predecessor Hafez Assad; and Bashar’s elder brother Basel, who was supposed to succeed their father but died in a 1994 car crash.

More towns and cities fell like dominoes in the following days, including Hama and Homs. Along the way, Assad’s army melted away. Surrendered soldiers lined up for rebel-issued certificates of amnesty. Advancing rebel fighters passed army trucks and tanks abandoned on the side of the highway.

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