Assad says US-led strikes on Syria ineffective

Syrian President Bashar Assad said U.S-led airstrikes in Syria have made no difference on the ground and described himself as a captain trying to save his ship, in comments to a French magazine and carried by the presidency's Twitter feed Wednesday, according to Reuters.

Coalition air forces led by the United States began bombing ISIS militants and other hardline factions in Syria in September. Asked whether this campaign had been helpful to him, Assad, whose forces have fought the same groups, told Paris Match: "You can't end terrorism with aerial strikes."

"Troops on the ground that know the land and can react are essential. That is why there haven't been any tangible results in the two months of strikes led by the coalition," he added, according to extracts of the interview published on Paris Match's website in English.

"It isn't true that the strikes are helpful. They would of course have helped had they been serious and efficient. We are running the ground battles against Daesh, and we have noticed no change, especially with Turkey providing direct support to these regions."