VOA慢速英语--巴格达遭自杀式袭击致几十人死亡

AS IT IS 2016-03-03 Attacks Near Baghdad Kills Dozens 巴格达遭自杀式袭击致几十人死亡

Islamic State militants¹ carried out two suicide attacks outside of Baghdad, killing² dozens of people this weekend.

In the northeastern Shi’ite suburb of Sadr City, the extremists carried out a double bombing.

Hours earlier, three suicide bombers³ and gunmen stormed into Abu Ghraib. The attackers rode pickup⁴ trucks into the town, just 25 kilometers west of downtown Baghdad. 

Shi’ite leader Moqtada al Sadr called upon his followers⁵ to protect Baghdad.

Residents said Baghdad’s International Zone (IZ) was temporarily put on high alert. Many embassies, international staff and Iraqi government officials live and work in the IZ. 

More Iraqi forces were quickly deployed⁶ there. They were also sent to the capital’s international airport, west of the city.

The Iraqi officials declared the fighting in Abu Ghraib over by early afternoon. And Baghdad residents said the city was back to operating as normal.

A spokesman for the Iraqi Interior Ministry⁷ told local media that all the attackers in the Abu Ghraib assault were killed. He said that the situation was “under control.”

He also said that some 30 Iraqi security forces died in the assault.

But by early evening, local media said Iraqi fighter jets were involved in the Abu Ghraib fight. They said fighting was still going on in parts of the city.

Abu Ghraib is west of Baghdad, about halfway⁸ between the capital and Fallujah. IS controls Fallujah.

After the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Abu Ghraib became notorious for the photographs showing U.S. troops abusing Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison.

In Sadr City, two bombs tore through a crowded local mobile phone market. For years, the Shi’ite suburb has suffered through sectarian violence. Hundreds of people have been killed there in bomb attacks over the years.

Last August, a truck bomb at a different market killed 80 people. IS militants took responsibility for that attack.

Words in This Story

alert - n. the state of being watchful⁹ for danger

stormed - v. raided

assault - n. attack

notorious – adj. well-known or famous especially for something bad

sectarian – adj. relating to religious or political sects and the differences between them

 

1 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。

2 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。

3 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。

5 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

6 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

7 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

8 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

9 watchful   

adj.注意的，警惕的

参考例句：

• The children played under the watchful eye of their father.孩子们在父亲的小心照看下玩耍。
• It is important that health organizations remain watchful.卫生组织保持警惕是极为重要的。