Ousted leader al-Assad vows to 'continue fighting' in first statement since fall of regime

Last week, Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow, where he has been granted asylum while an interim government is established in Syria

Ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad has said he had not planned to leave the country after the fall of Damascus and wanted to "continue fighting", but was evacuated by Russian forces after their airbase came under attack.

The comments, posted on the Syrian Presidency Telegram channel, are the first by al-Assad since he was overthrown by insurgent groups over a week ago.

"My departure from Syria was neither planned nor did it occur during the final hours of the battles, as some has claimed," the post reads.

Rather, al-Assad writes, he left Damascus on the morning of December 8, after insurgents stormed the city, and moved to a Russian airbase in the Syrian coastal province of Latakia.

He claims that after the base came under "intensified attack by drone strikes", Moscow requested an immediate evacuation to Russia.

"At no point during these events did I consider stepping down or seeking refuge, nor was such a proposal made by any individual or party," the post say, "the only course of action was to continue fighting against the terrorist onslaught."

In the post, al-Assad goes on to express his loyalty to Syria, seeking to reaffirm that he is "the same person who stood alongside the officers and soldiers of the army on the front lines, just metres from terrorists in the most dangerous and intense battlefields."

He said that, "during the darkest years of the war," he "did not leave but remained with his family alongside his people, confronting terrorism under bombardment."

Al-Assad left Syria following an offensive by anti-regime forces, including rebels Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which reached the country's capital city in just 12 days.

The offensive brought his 24-year rule to an end. He fled to Moscow, where he has been granted asylum while an interim government is established in Syria.

In the statement, al-Assad said his leaving the country "does not, in any way, diminish my profound sense of belonging to Syria and her people," describing it as "a bong that remains unshaken by any position or circumstance."

"When the state falls into the hands of terrorism and the ability to make a meaningful contribution is lost, any position becomes void of purpose, rendering its occupation meaningless," the statement says.

He ended the statement by saying he is "filled with hope" that Syria "will once again be free and independent."

Have you heard The Trapped? Listen as Daniel Hewitt exposes the UK's dirty secret.