Syrian President Bashar Assad saw in the New Year with a rare visit to a combat zone where he shared a meal with his troops - as sinister figures showed the death toll from the civil war  hit 76,000 in 2014 alone, including thousands of children. The extraordinary total made 2014 the deadliest so far in the nearly four-year war,according to Syrian Observatory for Human Rights which recorded the deaths of 76,021 people. Of the total, 17,790 were civilians, including 3,501 children. State TV footage showed Assad having dinner with soldiers and pro-government gunmen in the east Damascus district of Jobar last night.
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The leader made a rare visit to the combat zone yesterday
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At least 25 Syrians were killed in the neighbourhood before the visit
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Assad ate dinner with soldiers and pro-government gunmen
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The war claimed the lives of more than 76,000 people in 2014, including 3,501 children
Assad's visit came as rebels fired nearly two dozen mortar shells on @placeholder, residents said.