2006年VOA标准英语-Violence Continues in Baghdad Neighborhoods

By Peter Fedynsky
Washington, D.C.
04 September 2006
 
watch Baghdad report

A new Pentagon report says violence in Iraq has reached the point where conditions exist for a civil war.  The Pentagon's quarterly report to the U.S. Congress cites the rising tide of violence in and around Baghdad as particularly troubling.  VOA's Peter Fedynsky looks at the precarious¹ state of several Baghdad neighborhoods hit by sectarian violence.

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Colonel Tom Vail  
  
A funeral procession in April of this year in the Adamiyah neighborhood of eastern Baghdad ended in bloodshed.  A U.S. commander now in the area, Colonel Tom Vail, says Iraqi and U.S. forces have cordoned² off a portion of Adamiyah to rid it of what he termed "murderers, kidnappers³, and terrorists."  He says now there is other work to do.

"Our leaders have met with the local officials to determine requirements for security and services, and we're concentrating on trash and debris⁴ removal, power generation and medical support," says the colonel.  "In addition, our civil affairs teams are assisting with the re-opening of shops and stores."

An apartment building ripped apart by a bomb blast  
  
But violence elsewhere in the Iraqi capital continues unabated.  Fresh destruction in the al-Mustansiriyah neighborhood in eastern Baghdad resembles that of al-Kahira, which resembles yet another neighborhood, al Harthiyah in western Baghdad. 

"Two cars were parked here and when the Iraqi police patrol car passed, they exploded and lots of innocent people were killed," said an eyewitness⁵ to a bombing.

Colonel Vail says U.S. and Iraqi forces have deployed⁶ substantial resources to get the violence under control.

 
Cars destroyed by bombings are a familiar site in Baghdad 
  
"You know, you exercise combat power in one area, and then what about the other area? The way we get around that is that we have presence throughout Baghdad and we have presence throughout east Baghdad: 34 battalions⁸, 8,000 police, 42 police stations, [and] transition teams with every battalion⁷."

President Bush last Thursday described Iraqi insurgents⁹ as "enemies of liberty," who are linked to al-Qaida terrorists and Hezbollah militants¹⁰.

"The unifying¹¹ feature of this movement, the link that spans sectarian divisions and local grievances¹², is the rigid¹³ conviction that free societies are a threat to their twisted view of Islam," said the president.

Fareed Zakaria  
  
But some analysts¹⁴ say the president's approach is too simplistic. Fareed Zakaria is editor of Newsweek International magazine. He says, "The central strategic flaw, it seems to me, is to think of all these groups as united. They are not, and we should be exploiting their differences, not lumping them all together."

Much of the violence in Baghdad involves sectarian killing¹⁵ between Shia and Sunni Muslims.  Colonel Tom Vail says terrorists and common criminals complicate¹⁶ the picture.  

"Al Qaida is one of our threats. Extremist groups on either -- of any religion. We have extremist groups that are taking full advantage, through intimidation¹⁷, to extort¹⁸ individuals for money and for power and then to try to disrupt the new government. And then, lastly, we have just the common criminals. We have gangs and criminal activity that goes on, and they're violating the rule of law."

The Pentagon's latest quarterly report to the U.S. Congress says the current violence in Iraq is not a civil war, but notes that conditions for such a conflict exist.  An Iraqi government report says 769 civilians¹⁹ were killed in August.  More than 1,000 died in July.

1 precarious   

adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的

参考例句：

• Our financial situation had become precarious.我们的财务状况已变得不稳定了。
• He earned a precarious living as an artist.作为一个艺术家，他过得是朝不保夕的生活。

2 cordoned   

v.封锁，用警戒线围住( cordon的过去式 )

参考例句：

• Police cordoned off the area until the bomb was defused. 警方封锁了这个地区直到炸弹被拆除为止。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 kidnappers   

n.拐子，绑匪( kidnapper的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They were freed yesterday by their kidnappers unharmed. 他们昨天被绑架者释放了，没有受到伤害。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The kidnappers had threatened to behead all four unless their jailed comrades were released. 帮匪们曾经威胁说如果印度方面不释放他们的同伙，他们就要将这四名人质全部斩首。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

5 eyewitness   

n.目击者，见证人

参考例句：

• The police questioned several eyewitness to the murder.警察询问了谋杀案的几位目击者。
• He was the only eyewitness of the robbery.他是那起抢劫案的唯一目击者。

6 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

7 battalion   

n.营；部队；大队(的人)

参考例句：

• The town was garrisoned by a battalion.该镇由一营士兵驻守。
• At the end of the drill parade,the battalion fell out.操练之后，队伍解散了。

8 battalions   

n.（陆军的）一营（大约有一千兵士）( battalion的名词复数 )；协同作战的部队；军队；（组织在一起工作的）队伍

参考例句：

• God is always on the side of the strongest battalions. 上帝总是帮助强者。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Two battalions were disposed for an attack on the air base. 配置两个营的兵力进攻空军基地。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

10 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

11 unifying   

使联合( unify的现在分词 )； 使相同； 使一致； 统一

参考例句：

• In addition, there were certain religious bonds of a unifying kind. 此外，他们还有某种具有一种统一性质的宗教上的结合。
• There is a unifying theme, and that is the theme of information flow within biological systems. 我们可以用一个总的命题，把生物学系统内的信息流来作为这一研究主题。

12 grievances   

n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚

参考例句：

• The trade union leader spoke about the grievances of the workers. 工会领袖述说工人们的苦情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He gave air to his grievances. 他申诉了他的冤情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 rigid   

adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的

参考例句：

• She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。

14 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

15 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。

16 complicate   

vt.使复杂化，使混乱，使难懂

参考例句：

• There is no need to complicate matters.没有必要使问题复杂化。
• These events will greatly complicate the situation.这些事件将使局势变得极其复杂。

17 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

18 extort   

v.勒索，敲诈，强要

参考例句：

• The blackmailer tried to extort a large sum of money from him.勒索者企图向他勒索一大笔钱。
• They absolutely must not harm the people or extort money from them.严格禁止坑害勒索群众。

19 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。