More Foreign Civilians Killed in Iraqi Drive-By Shootings

More Foreign Civilians¹ Killed in Iraqi Drive-By Shootings

 

Nick Simeone

 

A day after Spain's incoming prime minister said he plans to pull his country's troops out of Iraq, President Bush is urging other countries not to do the same. This, as two more foreigners working there are shot dead in what have been a series of deadly attacks against civilians.

 

Two Europeans, believed to be German and Dutch, and both working on a water project near the southern city of Karbala were shot dead Tuesday along with two Iraqis. They, along with four American missionaries² killed a day earlier in Mosul, were all said to have been gunned down in drive by shootings.

 

"We're grieving, we're in shock, we're heartbroken," said Eric Bridges, spokesman for the Southern Baptist International Mission Board, the Virginia-based group that sent the missionaries to Iraq to do humanitarian⁴ work. He believes those responsible for these killings⁵ as well as the recent shootings of other civilians are looking for targets of opportunity instead of going after better protected soldiers. "They're seeking foreigners who are out and about who are not protected, who have no security."

 

The recent attacks are also claiming the lives of Iraqis seen as supporting the U.S.-led occupation and appear to mark a trend by insurgents⁷ of targeting civilians instead of soldiers. Military analyst⁸ and retired⁹ U.S. Army Colonel Ken³ Allard said the attacks are designed with a clear message in mind. "It sends the signal that anybody that is there on the side of the U.S. or for that matter in the Iraqi population siding with the United States, cooperating or working with them is absolutely vulnerable to an attack."

 

But as he met with the prime minister of the Netherlands, President Bush had a message of his own for countries that may be thinking about pulling out of Iraq, as Spain's incoming prime minister says his government will do, if the United Nations is not put in charge of the military operation there. "I would ask them to think about the Iraqi citizens who don't want people to withdraw because they want to be free."

 

Last week, two American civilians working for the U.S. military in Iraq were gunned down along with their Iraqi translator. With targeted assassinations¹¹ continuing to be a problem a year after the U.S.-led invasion, a majority of Iraqis asked in a new poll say a lack of security remains¹² their number one concern. But a majority also say their lives are better today than they were before the war.

 

 

注释：

Dutch [5dQtF] n. 荷兰人

missionary¹³ [5miFEnEri] n. 传教士

Mosul [mEJ5sU:l] 摩苏尔[伊拉克北部城市]

gun down （口）枪杀（手无寸铁者）

Southern Baptist International Mission Board  梅南侵信教会国际宣教机构

occupation [7Ckju5peiFEn] n. 占领军

insurgent⁶ [in5sE:dVEnt] n. 起义者

vulnerable [5vQlnErEb(E)l] adj. 易受攻击的，易受……的攻击

Netherlands [5neTElEndz] n. 荷兰，即指荷兰王国的欧洲部分

pull out  撤出

in charge of  负全责，经管

military operation  军事行动

assassination¹⁰ [E7sAsi5neiFEn] n. 暗杀

poll [pEul] n. 选举之投票，民意测验

1 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。

2 missionaries   

n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some missionaries came from England in the Qing Dynasty. 清朝时，从英国来了一些传教士。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The missionaries rebuked the natives for worshipping images. 传教士指责当地人崇拜偶像。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

4 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。

5 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

6 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。

7 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

8 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

9 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。

10 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

11 assassinations   

n.暗杀( assassination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Most anarchist assassinations were bungled because of haste or spontaneity, in his view. 在他看来，无政府主义者搞的许多刺杀都没成功就是因为匆忙和自发行动。 来自辞典例句
• Assassinations by Israelis of alleged terrorists habitually kill nearby women and children. 在以色列，自称恐怖分子的炸弹自杀者杀害靠近自己的以色列妇女和儿童。 来自互联网

12 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。

13 missionary   

adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士

参考例句：

• She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
• I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。