Syrians explore ousted Assad's Damascus home

Exploring Assad's lavish Damascus home post-rebellion, Syrians revel in newfound freedom and seek revenge for past oppression.

Roaming the opulent Damascus home of ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, Abu Omar felt a sense of giddy defiance being in the residence of the man he said had long oppressed him.

"I am taking pictures, because I am so happy to be here in the middle of his house," said the 44-year-old, showing photographs he took on his mobile phone.

He was among the dozens an AFP correspondent saw entering Assad's home after Assad fled the country -- to Moscow according to Russian news agencies -- as rebels took control of the capital in an 11-day lightning offensive.

The swift campaign by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies ended more than five decades of brutal rule by the Assad family.

"I came for revenge. They oppressed us in incredible ways," Abu Omar added from the compound of three six-storey buildings in the upscale al-Maliki neighbourhood.

Jubilant men, women, and children wandered the home and its sprawling garden in a daze, the rooms stripped bare except for some furniture and a portrait of Assad discarded on the floor.

Residents in the Syrian capital were seen cheering in the streets, as the rebel factions heralded the departure of "tyrant" Assad.