Syrians in Scotland celebrate the fall of Assad

Syrian refugees living in Scotland have been celebrating end of President Bashar al-Assad's rule.

After Islamist militant group Hayat Tah-rir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies took control, many refugees are now contemplating a return to their home country.

Tasnim Helmi and her husband Mohamed were welcomed in Scotland after fleeing Syria with their two-year-old daughter in 2016.

The began a new life on the Isle of Bute, where they opened Helmi's bakery.

Tasnim and her family previously lived in Darayya, a town five miles (8km) south-west of the capital city of Damascus.

Residents of the town were massacred in 2012 after they became known for their opposition to Assad.

Local advocacy groups later established that at least 700 people were killed in an attack directed at civilians.

"We weren't safe in Syria at all," said Tasnim.

"We were bombed and managed to escape at the last minute. It was terrible.

"We were lucky to be out before they sieged the town. Many lost their lives that day."

She said the city was destroyed and filled with "the smell of death" when her family later returned.

"My dad got imprisoned for peacefully demonstrating and he saw the worst 30 days of his life," she said.

"He was tortured in the prisons of Assad. He is very glad to be safe now but every time he remembers he gets tearful."

Bashar al-Assad became president in 2000 after the death of his father Hafez.

In 2011, he brutally crushed a peaceful, pro-democracy uprising which sparked a devastating civil war.

More than half a million people have been killed and 12 million others have been forced to flee their homes.

Tasnim said she felt hopeless about the situation in the country for years after she left, but she was "thrilled" when she realised Assad's regime had collapsed.

"It was a night that all Syrian people will remember forever," she added.

"We have mixed feelings about the unknown future, but there is nothing worse than the years we've been through under the Assad's family dictatorship.

"We're very glad that we were still alive to watch this."

Tasnim said her family had been welcomed to Scotland and received a lot of support from the local community.

They expanded their bakery business to Bearsden, East Dunbartonshire and the West End of Glasgow.

She told BBC Scotland News that she hopes to visit family members in Syria at some point soon.

"We've got two homes now and we're very lucky," she added.

Yaman Sarsar escaped from Damascus in 2012 after attempts were made to recruit him in the army.

"Assad's regime wanted to take me to fight for them," he said. "But to fight who? My other Syrians, my people?

"I don't agree with it, so that's why I left Syria. And since then, I couldn't go back because they would take me to the prison or to fight for them."

The 38-year-old now stays in Inverness in the Highlands with his wife and two children.

He said he was very happy to see the news coming from his home country.

"We were waiting for this moment for years and years," he said.

"The situation in Syria was very bad and we weren't able to say anything against [Assad] or his people. There was no justice or fairness.

"But we are all looking forward to building a Syria for all Syrians, not just Assad and his group."

Assad left Syria on Sunday and fled to Moscow, hours after the rebels entered Damascus and crowds gathered on the streets to celebrate.

Yaman said he had spoken to friends and family in Damascus who were happy but scared to think about the future.

While he was "very excited" to see the Assad dictatorship fall, he said that he will wait before making any decisions about moving back to Syria.

"I want to see how the situation goes because it's not the best at the moment," he said. "We all want to see Syria stable and built up again.

"I love it here in Inverness, the people are very welcoming.

"But my heart belongs to where I was born and my history there. So I'm looking forward to going back - but we need to wait."