Assad collapsed over the weekend without a fight, Damascus slipped into a power vacuum that saw the pillaging of the deposed president’s ornate palace, some government buildings and the homes of high-ranking officials.

Tens of thousands of people held in Syria's notorious prisons have been freed in the 10 days since the insurgents began their lightning advance across the country that ended with the toppling of President Bashar Assad.

We declare the city of Damascus free from the tyrant Bashar al-Assad,” a rebel leader said on WhatsApp. “To the displaced people around the world, Free Syria awaits you.”