Assad Plans to Reinforce Besieged Army Troops In Northwest

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Wednesday that troops would head to an insurgent-held town to help besieged soldiers holed up on its outskirts and said army setbacks were part of normal warfare.
Last month Islamist insurgents including al Qaeda's wing in Syria, Nusra Front, captured the town of Jisr al-Shughour in Syria's Idlib province, edging closer to the government-held heartland of Latakia along the coast.
In his first remarks since the insurgents seized Jisr al-Shughour and Idlib at the end of March, Assad played down such setbacks, adding the armed forces would remain resolute.
Assad said while the army was waging a relentless war across swathes of territory and gaining ground, there were occasions when the fighters had to "retreat back when the situation warrants".
Government forces have endured a series of setbacks on the battlefield and Islamist fighters have edged closer to Assad's stronghold in the coastal areas.