VOA标准英语10月-Taliban Claims Responsibility for Killing Female

A British woman who had been helping¹ the handicapped in Afghanistan has become the latest victim of Taliban violence targeting foreign aid workers in the country. VOA Correspondent Steve Herman reports from Kabul that Afghanistan's government and aid agencies are vowing² that such attacks will not hamper³ the international effort to rebuild the country.
　

Afghan official stands near scene where female Western aid worker was shot dead in Kabul, 20 Oct 2008

International officials say assistance programs for Afghanistan should not be undermined by the rising number of attacks on foreign aid workers here.

A worker for the Christian⁴ charity, SERVE Afghanistan, was shot dead Monday morning as she walked to her job in suburban⁵ Kabul.

Police and diplomatic sources say Gayle Williams, a British national of South African origin working with the disabled, was attacked by gunmen who got off a motorcycle and fired at her numerous times.

The fundamentalist Taliban say they killed the woman because she was working for an organization that was preaching Christianity in the predominately Muslim nation.

Several other Christian charities in the country contacted by VOA News say they intend to maintain a low profile and do not want to comment on how the killing⁶ would affect their operations here.

Security groups working with international organizations say attacks on aid workers are at their highest level in six years.

Spokesman Dan McNorton of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan tells VOA News it is too early to say what impact the latest killing in Kabul might have on the operations of foreign aid agencies in the country.

"We are all aware that Afghanistan has seen an increase in security incidents," McNorton said. "And it has become increasingly difficult for humanitarian⁷ agencies to work in the country. But most agencies are still here and most agencies are still getting on with their jobs of providing help to the people of Afghanistan."

Three female aid workers and their Afghan driver were ambushed⁸ and killed in August by Taliban insurgents⁹. There have also been more than 70 reported abductions of aid workers this year in Afghanistan.

But it is ordinary Afghans who continue to be the primary targets of the increasing violence perpetrated by the Taliban, other rebel groups and criminal gangs.

Kidnappings of wealthy Afghans have become routine. The latest reported abduction: Hamayon Shah Asifi, the influential¹⁰ and wealthy brother-in-law of former King Zahir Shah.

An estimated three thousand Afghans have died due to insurgency¹¹-related violence this year

In one of the latest major incidents, Taliban fighters are claiming responsibility for killing about 30 people on two buses in southern Kandahar province last week. The insurgents say they attacked the buses because they were filled with Afghan soldiers. But government officials say those who were killed were all civilians¹², including a child.

On the battlefront, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force says a two-day battle against militants¹³ has left 20 insurgents dead in Maydan Wardak province, where the Taliban have a presence less than 60 kilometers southwest of Kabul.

Countering the rising insurgency, besides the Afghan National Army, are 65,000 international troops - either under the command of NATO or the U.S. military.

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 vowing   

起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild its collapsed bridge. 布什总统承诺将帮助明尼阿波利斯重建坍塌的大桥。
• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild this collapse bridge. 布什总统发誓要帮助明尼阿波利斯重建起这座坍塌的桥梁。

3 hamper   

vt.妨碍，束缚，限制；n.(有盖的)大篮子

参考例句：

• There are some apples in a picnic hamper.在野餐用的大篮子里有许多苹果。
• The emergence of such problems seriously hamper the development of enterprises.这些问题的出现严重阻碍了企业的发展。

4 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

5 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

6 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。

7 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

8 ambushed   

v.埋伏( ambush的过去式和过去分词 )；埋伏着

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The military vehicles were ambushed. 军车遭到伏击。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

11 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

12 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。

13 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。