VOA慢速英语2021--喀布尔的公园里挤满了逃离战乱的阿富汗人

Parks in Kabul Filling with Afghans Running Away from Fighting

As the U.S. military leaves Afghanistan, Taliban fighters are trying to take over parts of the country. The Taliban members are fighting against Afghan government soldiers in the north, and many people are running away from the violence.

The people trying to escape the fighting are running to the capital city of Kabul, where they live in open green spaces known as parks, and on streets with little food or water.

Displaced¹ Afghans from northern provinces, who fled their home due to fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security personnel², take refuge³ in a public park in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Displaced Afghans from northern provinces, who fled their home due to fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security personnel, take refuge in a public park in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

About 17,000 people left their homes in the north and came to Kabul in the last two weeks, said a spokesman⁴ for the Afghan government.

Michelle Bachelet is the United Nations' human rights chief. She said close to 200 civilians⁵ were killed and over 1,000 were injured since only Monday during fighting in the cities of Lashkar Gah, Kandahar, Herat and Kunduz.

In reality, she said, the numbers may be much higher. Bachelet said people told the U.N. stories of civilians being lined up and killed, attacks against Afghan government officials and their families, homes and schools being destroyed and mines and explosive devices being placed on the ground.

With the exit of the soldiers who worked to keep Afghanistan safe from the Taliban for 20 years, Bachelet said the U.N. is worried progress in human rights will be lost.

One teenager, Nasir Ahmed, said he saw Taliban fighters hurting a man who had a photo of himself with the Afghan flag on his phone. He said he also saw fighters hurting women whose head coverings were not correct.

He said he left his village because the fighting was too close. He is worried about his future.

"I missed the last year of school because of COVID-19 and this year because of war. I don't see any future for myself," he said.

One woman said she has been in a park in the northern part of Kabul for three days. The government offered no help. She has been getting food from other people. She left her village after some of the men in her family were killed while fighting the Taliban. Other men in her family were killed later because they were related to those fighting against the Taliban.

"The Taliban have no mercy," she said.

Some people in the parks are worried that their government will not be able to defeat the Taliban. Fawzia Karimi left her home in Kunduz and came to Kabul with five of her children.

"If the government cannot do anything, it should just stop the bombardment and let the Taliban rule," she said.

In one park in Kabul, there are 400 people living with only two toilets. There is no medical help and many people have health problems.

Another woman, Najia, said she came from Kunduz with her five children and husband. She said they left after their home was caught in the battle. She said all types of ammunition⁶ were exploding nearby.

"The whole north is ablaze⁷ with war," she said.

Words in This Story

related –adj. in the same family

mercy –n. kind or forgiving treatment of someone who could be treated harshly⁸

bombardment –n. an attack with large guns or bombs

toilet –n. a large bowl attached to a pipe that is used for getting rid of bodily waste and then flushed⁹ with water

ablaze –v. in the process of burning

1 displaced   

移动( displace的过去式和过去分词 )； 替换； 移走； 撤职

参考例句：

• Gradually factory workers have been displaced by machines. 工厂的工人已逐渐被机器取代。
• He was displaced by another young man. 他已被另一个年轻人顶替。

2 personnel   

n.[总称]人员，员工，人事部门

参考例句：

• The personnel are not happy to change these rules.全体工作人员对改变这些规定很不高兴。
• Personnel has lost my tax forms.人事部门把我的税收表格给弄丢了。

3 refuge   

n.避难（处），庇护（所）；v.庇护，避难（所）

参考例句：

• They took refuge in a cave yesterday.他们昨天是在一个洞里避难的。
• We took refuge in the lee of the wall.我们在墙的背风处暂避。

4 spokesman   

n.发言人，代言人

参考例句：

• The government spokesman gave a quick briefing to the reporters.政府发言人向记者们作了情况简介。
• They drew lots to decide who should be their spokesman.他们抽签决定谁是他们的发言人。

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 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

7 ablaze   

adj.着火的，燃烧的；闪耀的，灯火辉煌的

参考例句：

• The main street was ablaze with lights in the evening.晚上，那条主要街道灯火辉煌。
• Forests are sometimes set ablaze by lightning.森林有时因雷击而起火。

8 harshly   

ad.严厉地；苛刻地

参考例句：

• The grit beneath her soles grated harshly on the wooden deck. 粘在她鞋底的沙砾蹭在木甲板上发出刺耳的声音。
• We should not judge the young writers too harshly. 我们不应当对青年作家太苛求。

9 flushed   

a.(～with sth.)兴奋的，充满喜悦的

参考例句：

• She flushed with anger. 她气得涨红了脸。
• Her face was flushed with anger. 她的脸气红了。