美国国家公共电台 NPR Pentagon Niger Ambush Report Will Not Assign Blame For Soldiers' Deaths

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

We are breaking news this morning on a Pentagon investigation¹ into the deaths of four American soldiers. What's known is they were ambushed² by ISIS fighters in the West African country of Niger. What wasn't known is, did they have proper training and equipment? And were they taking too many risks? NPR's Tom Bowman has learned how the report answers those questions.

TOM BOWMAN, BYLINE⁴: The report will say there was no single failure, no deficiency as a sole reason the men died outside the village of Tongo Tongo on an October afternoon. But the report says the soldiers did not have the necessary training before arriving in Africa and before the mission. And there was a contradicting and confusing approval process for missions up the chain of command of the American special operations forces. The four soldiers were part of a 12-member team, together with Nigerien soldiers, that started out on a mission just to meet village elders. But then it switched to a more dangerous one, visiting a site recently vacated by a terrorist leader and his fighters.

Drone footage showed the site was empty. And the soldiers were ordered by a junior officer to check the site for any intelligence information. A synopsis⁵ of the report focuses on the Special Operations Command in Africa, although it does not blame any individuals. It leaves many questions unanswered - who should have approved the mission and at what level? And what was the responsibility of the top generals of Africa Command, who oversee⁶ all military operations? And why did the chief of staff from Africa Command write the report instead of an independent officer?

The report says the Americans were outgunned by dozens of ISIS fighters and that all four soldiers died relatively⁷ quickly along with five Nigerien soldiers. All team members fought bravely, the report says. And some went back to try to help their doomed⁸ comrades. French Mirage⁹ jets showed up as the ambush³ was coming to an end, made several low passes, scattered¹⁰ the terrorists but did not fire. That's because the pilots could not distinguish between friend and foe¹¹. Still, the report says, the French action saved lives. One retired¹² officer with experience in Africa tells NPR, the American team heading to the terrorist site should have planned better, had heavier firepower, a medevac and a quick reaction force in case something went wrong. Now, officials say, all special operations missions will include a drone flying above and a medevac two hours away.

Tom Bowman, NPR News, Washington.

1 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

2 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》

3 ambush   

n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击

参考例句：

• Our soldiers lay in ambush in the jungle for the enemy.我方战士埋伏在丛林中等待敌人。
• Four men led by a sergeant lay in ambush at the crossroads.由一名中士率领的四名士兵埋伏在十字路口。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 synopsis   

n.提要，梗概

参考例句：

• The synopsis of the book is very good.这本书的梗概非常好。
• I heard there wasn't a script.They only had a synopsis.我听说是没有剧本的。他们只有一个大纲。

6 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

7 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。

8 doomed   

命定的

参考例句：

• The court doomed the accused to a long term of imprisonment. 法庭判处被告长期监禁。
• A country ruled by an iron hand is doomed to suffer. 被铁腕人物统治的国家定会遭受不幸的。

9 mirage   

n.海市蜃楼，幻景

参考例句：

• Perhaps we are all just chasing a mirage.也许我们都只是在追逐一个幻想。
• Western liberalism was always a mirage.西方自由主义永远是一座海市蜃楼。

10 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

11 foe   

n.敌人，仇敌

参考例句：

• He knew that Karl could be an implacable foe.他明白卡尔可能会成为他的死敌。
• A friend is a friend;a foe is a foe;one must be clearly distinguished from the other.敌是敌，友是友，必须分清界限。

12 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。