Bashar al-Assad heads up this country from its capital, Damascus
The president denied ordering the 
military to kill or be brutal in its crackdown on ... parts of the north and east of the 
country and launched offensives against Damascus and Aleppo;... [DOC] [TLE] What We Know About the Lives of Bashar al-Assad and His Family ... [PAR] Oct 21, 2015 ... Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's trip to Russia Tuesday marked his first known 
travels outside his country since its civil war began.