Activists: 76,000 killed in Syria conflict in 2014

Aamer Madhani | USAToday

More than 76,000 people were killed in fighting in Syria last year, making 2014 the deadliest year in the four-year-old civil war, according to the UK-based activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The group said the 2014 death toll of 76,021 is slightly up from 2013's toll of 73,000. More than 200,000 have been killed since the conflict began in 2011.

Civilians accounted for 17,790 of the deaths, while about 17,000 were fighters from militant groups, including the Islamic State and al-Nusra Front. Another 15,000 fighters killed in fighting came from moderate rebel groups and other Islamist factions.

Syrian soldiers and militias loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad accounted for 22,627 of the deaths, according to the human rights group.

The group announced the death toll on Thursday after Assad made a rare appearance on the front lines of the war, sitting down with government troops for a New Year's Eve dinner of baked beans, boiled potatoes and tomatoes in an eastern Damascus neighborhood that has seen fierce fighting, according to Syrian state TV.

"On New Year's Eve families gather but you decided to be here to protect your country," Assad told the troops. "I like to be with you on this occasion."

In a statement announcing the 2014 death toll, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights blasted the "silence of the international community" as the fighting has dragged on. Assad, meanwhile, described the rebels as "rats" during his appearance with government troops.

The footage of Assad, aired Thursday, also showed the Syrian leader shaking hands and kissing troops, walking into fortifications and climbing onto a tank.

Assad has rarely made public appearances since the country fell into a civil war early in 2011, as rebels sought to end his family's four-decade rule. The last time he visited the front line was on Aug. 1, 2013, when he went to the former opposition bastion of Daraya outside of Damascus.

Contributing: Associated Press