President Assad to AP: Syria war will "drag on" as part of global conflict

Forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad walk at a military complex, after they recaptured areas in southwestern Aleppo that rebels had seized last month, Syria, in this handout picture provided by SANA on September 5, 2016. SANA/Handout via REUTERS

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said his country's war will "drag on" as long as it is part of a global conflict funded by other countries, in an interview with AP News broadcast on Thursday. "When you talk about it as part of a global conflict and a regional conflict, when you have many external factors that you don't control, it's going to drag on," Assad said. (Reporting by Lisa Barrington, editing by Larry King)