Syrian man in Darlington says being able to return home following fall of Assad is 'like a dream'

Reporter Jennie Henry has been to Darlington to meet Mouhyedin Alkalil, who fled Syria leaving his family behind

A Syrian businessman living in Darlington says the fall of the Assad regime means he is now able to return home to see his family, describing it as "like a dream'.

Mouhyedin Alkalil was forced to flee Syria at the age of 18 when his life became endangered.

He settled in Darlington, setting up a street food business called Falafel Fella.

Mouhyedin now has a wife and a baby here in the UK, and is excited to see his mum, dad, two brothers and two sisters back in Syria, as well as other family including nieces, nephews and cousins.

Mouhyedin Alkalil said: "To be honest I speak to them without fear now. We never thought it was going to come to this day where there’s so Bashar Assad or his regime any more. It is absolutely like a dream for us.

"I can’t believe it’s been one week now. I feel like I’m still in a dream, because even when I try to speak with them on the phone I make sure to avoid mentions of the regime. If I do mention them, they will be in trouble.

"But now they start to have better signal, we start to say whatever we want, and we can see the change already."

Today (13 December), many people in Syria celebrated 'Freedom Friday', saying it is the first Friday in five decades that they have not been living in fear.

Mr Alkalil said: "Since last week they know exactly what freedom’s like. They go to the street, they don’t like something they will say “ah we don’t like it”, there is nobody to say checkpoint, ask you for your paper, why you are against the regime, there is no bombing, there is no army everywhere in the street, it’s just freedom."

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