Ex-US ambassador: 'Harder to find a way forward' in Syria

Former US Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford has told the BBC's Aleem Maqbool moderate opposition groups in Syria are in worse shape than they were when the US began bombing Islamic State targets.

He says he's not sure why the US thought such rebel groups would turn their focus to IS instead of the Assad regime, and is not optimistic about a way out of the country's civil war.

"It's going to be much harder to find a way forward now," Mr Ford said. "There's suffering from the east to the west to the north to the south. And I no longer see a way that Syrians can resolve these issues at a negotiation table any time soon."