2006年VOA标准英语-Multiple Investigations of Alleged Civilia

By Peter Fedynsky
Washington, D.C.
01 June 2006
 
watch Haditha report

President Bush, top U.S. military officials and the new government of Iraq have ordered investigations² into an alleged³ massacre⁴ of Iraqi civilians⁵ by U.S. Marines in November. If the investigations reveal a cover-up, troops responsible for the killing⁷ may not be the only ones to face charges.

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Men carry a body, wrapped in a blanket, after the alleged massacre last year   
  

At least 15 and perhaps as many as 24 innocent Iraqis were killed in Haditha, allegedly at the hands of U.S. Marines distraught over the loss of a fellow marine⁶, Lance Corporal Miguel Terrazas, who died in an insurgent⁸ attack on their convoy⁹.

The Iraqi deaths are said to include children as well as women who tried to shield them. Twelve-year-old Safa Younis survived by pretending to be dead.

"The Americans knocked on the door. My father went to open it,” Younis said. “They shot him dead from behind the door, and then they shot him after they opened the door."

President Bush said both he and the Marine Corps¹⁰ are troubled by the allegations.

George W. Bush listens to a reporter's question in a recent press opportunity  
  
"The Marine Corps is full of men and women who are honorable people, who understand rules of war,” Bush said. “And if, in fact, these allegations are true, the Marine Corps will work hard to make sure that that culture -- that proud culture will be reinforced, and that those who violated the law -- if they did -- will be punished."

The commandant of the Marine Corps, General Michael Hagee, who was in Kuwait before the start of the Iraq War, visited his troops again in May to issue an unusual reminder¹¹ that lethal¹² force must be "justified¹³, proportional and, most importantly, lawful¹⁴."

The general also cautioned that troops numbed¹⁵ by the effects of combat risk becoming indifferent to the loss of life.

Anthony Cordesman  
  
Anthony Cordesman, a military expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C. think tank, says an indifferent soldier is an incompetent¹⁶ warrior¹⁷ whose misdeeds provoke the enemy.

"Every time a soldier loses control in this form, he or she ends up killing other Americans indirectly¹⁸, just as certainly as if they were traitors¹⁹ or members of the insurgency," Cordesman said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says he is losing patience with what he called American "excuses" for the Haditha killings²⁰. Maliki told the Reuters news agency that he also plans to launch an Iraqi investigation¹ into the matter.

Anthony Cordesman agreed that this is important. "This government has to be able to stand on its own. It has to show it is truly sovereign,” he said.

“If the United States makes mistakes, the government has to be in a position to freely criticize them,” he said. “And if we make mistakes, we have to show we are going to hold U.S. troops fully²¹ responsible."

General Peter Pace  
  
The chairman of the U.S. Joint²² Chiefs of Staff, General Peter Pace, said there are two military investigations into the killings.

"One is to find out what happened,” Pace said. “The other is to find out, why did it take us so long to find out what happened?"

It is not clear when senior military officials learned about the incident, or what they did about it. If investigations reveal that senior officials knew early on, but failed to pursue justice, those officials could also face criminal charges. White House spokesman Tony Snow said President Bush first heard about the allegations in February

1 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

2 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

3 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

4 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

5 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

6 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

7 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

8 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

9 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

10 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

11 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

12 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

13 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

14 lawful   

adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的

参考例句：

• It is not lawful to park in front of a hydrant.在消火栓前停车是不合法的。
• We don't recognised him to be the lawful heir.我们不承认他为合法继承人。

15 numbed   

v.使麻木，使麻痹( numb的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His mind has been numbed. 他已麻木不仁。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was numbed with grief. 他因悲伤而昏迷了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

16 incompetent   

adj.无能力的，不能胜任的

参考例句：

• He is utterly incompetent at his job.他完全不能胜任他的工作。
• He is incompetent at working with his hands.他动手能力不行。

17 warrior   

n.勇士，武士，斗士

参考例句：

• The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
• A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。

18 indirectly   

adv.间接地，不直接了当地

参考例句：

• I heard the news indirectly.这消息我是间接听来的。
• They were approached indirectly through an intermediary.通过一位中间人，他们进行了间接接触。

19 traitors   

卖国贼( traitor的名词复数 )； 叛徒； 背叛者； 背信弃义的人

参考例句：

• Traitors are held in infamy. 叛徒为人所不齿。
• Traitors have always been treated with contempt. 叛徒永被人们唾弃。

20 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

21 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

22 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。