| The conflict in Syria killed 76,021 people in 2014, just under half of them civilians, a group monitoring the war has said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Thursday said 33,278 civilians were killed last year in the conflict, which started with protests in 2011 and has spiralled into a civil war. The United Nations says around 200,000 people have been killed since 2011. No group enjoys significant momentum going into 2015 and the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said last month he expected the conflict to be long and difficult. Assad visited a district on the outskirts of Damascus and thanked soldiers fighting "in the face of terrorism", his office said on Twitter late on Wednesday, posting pictures of the rare trip. Assad, who is commander in chief, is not frequently pictured in public, though he has visited troops in the past, according to state media. The presidential website said the latest visit was to Jobar, northeast of Damascus. "If there was an area of joy which remained in Syria, it is thanks to the victories that you achieved in the face of terrorism," Assad told troops, according to the Twitter account. State news agency SANA said he "wished a speedy recovery to the wounded" and praised their sacrifices. |
| source:aljazeera |
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