Russia said on Sunday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had left office and departed his country after giving orders for a peaceful transfer of power, but did not say where he was now or whether the Russian military planned to stay in Syria. Opposition forces declared they had ousted al-Assad after seizing control of Damascus on Sunday, ending his family’s decades of autocratic rule after more than 13 years of civil war.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app. Al-Assad flew out of Damascus for an unknown destination earlier on Sunday, two senior army officers told Reuters. His current whereabouts were unknown. “As a result of negotiations between B. Assad and a number of participants in the armed conflict on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic, he decided to resign from the presidency and left the country, giving instructions for a peaceful transfer of power,” Russia’ Foreign Ministry said in a