2006年VOA标准英语-Suicide Attacks in Iraq Kill More Than 100

By Ben Gilbert
Baghdad
05 January 2006

An attack near one of the holiest sites in Shiite Islam killed at least 49 people in Iraq's southern city of Karbala, about 80 kilometers south of Baghdad. Another attack in the insurgent¹ stronghold of Ramadi killed more than 50 police recruits. The U.S. military also says five American troops were killed by a roadside bomb in the Iraqi capital.

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Iraqi police inspect charred² wreckage³ of a suicide car bombing, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006, in central Baghdad  
  

The first blast occurred before midday in Karbala near the shrine⁴ to Imam Hussein, one of the most respected figures in Shiite Islam. A suicide bomber⁵ wearing an explosive belt detonated in a crowd on a pedestrian street closed last year to prevent car bomb attacks.

Television images showed pools of blood and body parts on dirtied concrete. One resident, Haider Kathem, says the area was crowded.

"Every day this place is crowded, it is a near a market," he said. "It was especially crowded today because pilgrims from around Iraq have come to visit the shrine."

 
Relative of a victim grieves near body bags outside a hospital in Karbala
  
The attack is the second to strike the relatively⁶ calm Shiite city in two days and the largest attack in the city since December 2004.

The violence continued an hour later in Iraq's western city of Ramadi. U.S. Marines say another suicide bomber struck an Iraqi police recruiting center. The bomber detonated his explosive vest as he stood in line with about 1,000 applicants⁷ outside the center.

The attack occurred on the third day of a four-day effort to recruit more police to help control the volatile⁸ western province, where Iraq's largely Sunni-led insurgency⁹ is strongest.

In Baghdad, four of the city's main bridges remained closed, and Iraqi security forces manned checkpoints across the city. It is the second day of heightened security since attacks Wednesday killed more than 50 people in the country, shattering the relative calm that had endured since the December 15 elections.

Wednesday's violence also included the kidnapping of the sister of the country's interior minister, a high-ranking member in Iraq's largest Shiite political coalition¹⁰, the United Iraqi Alliance.

Another ranking Alliance member, the deputy speaker in Iraq's parliament, Hussein Shahristani, told the U.S. Ambassador Wednesday that the American military is not letting Iraqi forces take a strong enough role in stopping the insurgency.

"The United Iraqi Alliance is not going to keep quiet if the government fails to protect the population against terrorist threats and attacks…," he said.

Sharastani told reporters earlier that if the Americans or the Iraqi government cannot protect Iraqis, then the people have a right to defend themselves.

The U.S. embassy says the United States remains¹¹ committed to working with Iraqi security services, training and building their capacity, and stopping terror groups.

1 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。

2 charred   

v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式)；烧焦

参考例句：

• the charred remains of a burnt-out car 被烧焦的轿车残骸
• The intensity of the explosion is recorded on the charred tree trunks. 那些烧焦的树干表明爆炸的强烈。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

4 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

5 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

6 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

7 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

8 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

9 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

10 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

11 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。