VOA标准英语2009-Somali Insurgents Amputate Suspected Thieves

In Somalia's capital, the radical¹ Islamist al-Shabab militia² amputated a hand and a foot each from four young men accused of stealing guns and mobile phones. The militia has imposed a harsh brand of Islamic law in areas of Somalia under its control.
　
Four young Somalis, prior to each having a hand and foot cut off by al-Shabab militants³ in Mogadishu, Somalia, 25 Jun 2009

In front of a crowd of hundreds at an al-Shabab camp in the north of Mogadishu, militiamen cut off the right hand and left foot of the four suspected thieves. According to witnesses, those executing the punishment wore hoods⁴ and used a machete, and the suspects, at least some of them thought to be teenagers, were crying. The men had been convicted earlier in the week by a court set up by al-Shabab.

An al-Shabab leader, Ali Mohamed Hussein, spoke⁵ at the scene of the punishment.

"The four men had already been sentenced," he said. "Each had his right hand and left foot cut off. We are implementing⁶ sharia law. We sentenced these men after confirming that they robbed people in Mogadishu."

The human rights group Amnesty International condemned⁷ the amputations, saying they amounted to torture. The group had also criticized the lack of due process given the suspects.

Al-Shabab is on the United States government's list of terrorist organizations, suspected of having ties to al-Qaida. As many as 300 foreigners are believed to be fighting alongside the militia in its effort to wrest⁸ control of Mogadishu from the internationally-backed transitional government of President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. The group already controls parts of the capital, and much of the country's south.

While public opinion can be hard to gauge⁹ in areas controlled by al-Shabab, many observers believe that Somalis welcome the insurgents¹⁰' ability to impose order in the famously lawless country, but do not support such harsh punishment, noting that most Somalis practice a moderate brand of Islam.

The transitional government has officially introduced Sharia law in the country, but the insurgents have rejected the effort as too weak. Al-Shabab, meanwhile, has imposed a its own brand of Islamic law in areas it controls, particularly the port city of Kismayo, where there have been reports of amputations, flogging, and stoning.

Since Islamist insurgents launched a renewed offensive in Mogadishu in early May, nearly 160,000 people have been displaced, and over 200 have been killed. Both Somalia's internal security minister and the chief of police for Mogadishu were killed last week.

Somalia's government has appealed to neighboring countries, including Ethiopia and Kenya to intervene, but both have so far resisted the appeal. Ethiopian troops occupied the country from the end of 2006 until this past January, but withdrew when President Ahmed's faction¹¹ of the opposition¹² joined the government and he was selected as president.

Somalia has been without a functioning central government since 1991.

1 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

2 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

3 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。

4 hoods   

n.兜帽( hood的名词复数 )；头巾；（汽车、童车等的）折合式车篷；汽车发动机罩v.兜帽( hood的第三人称单数 )；头巾；（汽车、童车等的）折合式车篷；汽车发动机罩

参考例句：

• Michael looked at the four hoods sitting in the kitchen. 迈克尔瞅了瞅坐在厨房里的四条汉子。 来自教父部分
• Eskimos wear hoods to keep their heads warm. 爱斯基摩人戴兜帽使头暖和。 来自辞典例句

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 implementing   

v.实现( implement的现在分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• -- Implementing a comprehensive drug control strategy. ――实行综合治理的禁毒战略。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• He was in no hurry about implementing his unshakable principle. 他并不急于实行他那不可动摇的原则。 来自辞典例句

7 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

8 wrest   

n.扭，拧，猛夺；v.夺取，猛扭，歪曲

参考例句：

• The officer managed to wrest the gun from his grasp.警官最终把枪从他手中夺走了。
• You wrest my words out of their real meaning.你曲解了我话里的真正含义。

9 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

10 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

11 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

12 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。