VOA慢速英语2015 联合国:阿富汗平民死亡人数激增

AS IT IS 2015-02-20 UN Sees Sharp Rise in Civilian¹ Deaths, Injuries in Afghanistan 联合国:阿富汗平民死亡人数激增 

The United Nations says conflict-related deaths and injuries among Afghan civilians² rose last year. The UN says the number of civilian deaths and injuries was 22 percent higher than in 2013.

UN officials are blaming the Taliban and other rebel groups for most of the casualties. Officials say the higher numbers are a result of ground fighting between opposing sides in the Afghan conflict.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan this week released a report on civilian casualties in Afghanistan. It says the number of deaths and injuries last year was the highest in a single year since 2009.

Georgette Gagnon is Director of Human Rights for the UN mission. She says intensified³ ground fighting between Afghan government forces and the rebels has produced the rise in casualties. She says the rebels have used weapons such as rockets, shells and grenades in and around population centers. She says the withdrawal⁴ of international forces and air support led to the increased fighting.

“The UN documented 10,548 civilian casualties in 2014. Civilian casualties from ground operations surged, making them the leading cause of civilian casualties and the biggest killers⁵ of Afghan women and children in 2014.”

Georgette Gagnon says the UN report linked the Taliban and other Afghan government opponents to 72 percent of all civilian deaths. The report said the Afghan armed forces were linked to 14 percent of all deaths, and international forces to two percent. UN researchers could not identify which side was responsible for the rest of the deaths.

The human rights director says the second leading cause of civilian casualties was improvised⁶ explosive devices, commonly known as IEDs. Militants⁷ often used IEDs to attack Afghan or international forces.

The report also noted⁸ increased numbers of suicide attacks last year.

Ms. Gagnon spoke⁹ to reporters in Kabul. She read a message from the UN’s human rights chief. The message said the attacks on Afghan civilians were unacceptable and could be considered war crimes. The statement called on all sides to respect international agreements.

“Documenting these trends should not be regarded as a body count, but as a vital step towards accountability. It is high time that states live up to their responsibility to protect civilians, and that perpetrators of war crimes and other violations¹⁰ understand that they will face justice for what they have done.”

Nicholas Haysom heads the UN office in Kabul. He urged the Taliban to honor their public statements to avoid civilian casualties and stop attacking civilians.

“They (the Taliban) have accepted in their engagements with us that protection of the civilians is important and have pledged to take certain measures to eradicate¹¹ civilian casualties from their own part. We have gratifyingly seen public commitments. Now is the time for results.”

The Taliban has strongly rejected earlier UN findings that blamed the group for the majority of civilian deaths in Afghanistan. The Taliban accuses the United Nations of using only information provided by its enemies.

Words in This Story

civilian - adj. not military

grenade(s) - n. a small bomb

surge(d) - v. to suddenly increase; rising sharply

accountability - n. taking responsibility

1 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

2 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。

3 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

5 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

6 improvised   

a.即席而作的,即兴的

参考例句：

• He improvised a song about the football team's victory. 他即席创作了一首足球队胜利之歌。
• We improvised a tent out of two blankets and some long poles. 我们用两条毛毯和几根长竿搭成一个临时帐蓬。

7 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。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 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。

10 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

11 eradicate   

v.根除，消灭，杜绝

参考例句：

• These insects are very difficult to eradicate.这些昆虫很难根除。
• They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus.他们已经在努力消灭疟疾、破伤风等疾病。