2006年VOA标准英语-US Troops in Iraq Cleared of Misconduct in

By Michael Bowman
Washington
03 June 2006

A U.S. military investigation¹ has concluded that U.S. troops did not intentionally² kill innocent civilians³ in an Iraqi village. Two other incidents are still under investigation. The statements come amid continued violence and lawlessness in Iraq, including the killing⁴ of one Russian diplomat⁵ and the kidnapping of four others in Baghdad.

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In this March 15, 2006 file photo, Iraqis examine a house damaged during a U.S. raid in the rural Ishaqi area, north of Baghdad in Iraq   
  

For days, U.S. military commanders in Iraq have weathered a whirlwind of allegations of killings⁶ of civilians by American forces. Saturday, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad said one allegation is entirely⁷ without merit: that U.S. troops executed a family during a raid in Ishaqi, and then attempted to conceal⁸ the deed. Major General William Caldwell:

"Allegations that the troops executed a family living in a safe house, and then hid these alleged⁹ crimes by directing an air strike are absolutely false," he said.

What happened, the U.S. military says, is that American forces were fired on during a raid on a building believed to house an al-Qaida suspect. The troops are said to have returned fire and called in an air strike, which destroyed the building and killed the suspect - and resulted in up to nine other deaths. U.S. commanders say the troops acted in accordance with established rules of engagement.

But just what took place in another Iraqi municipality, Haditha, remains¹⁰ unclear. Local Iraqis accuse U.S. forces of going on a rampage, killing two dozen civilians last November.

An attorney - Khaled Salem Rsayef - representing claimants in Haditha says U.S. forces acted criminally, both during and after the alleged incident.

"They sealed off the whole city for a month, not allowing anyone to enter the city and arresting anyone who speaks about the incident, so the issue did not appear on television for a long time," he said. "The truth is [that] the ones who provoked this issue are the Americans themselves."

Major General Caldwell says events in Haditha remain under investigation, but stressed that coalition¹¹ troops in Iraq will be held to account for any misdeeds.

"The coalition does not and will not tolerate unethical or criminal behavior," he said. "All allegations of such activity will be fully¹² investigated, and any members found to have committed such activities - violations¹³ will be held accountable."

Officials of Iraq's new unity¹⁴ government have expressed outrage¹⁵ over alleged misdeeds by U.S. forces, and say they will continue their own investigations¹⁶.

U.S. officials have assured Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki that he will be kept fully informed about the U.S. investigations under way.

Meanwhile, Russian officials say a Russian diplomat has been killed and four embassy staffers kidnapped during an attack on their vehicle in Baghdad. The officials say they are in contact with Iraqi authorities, and will press for the captives' release.

In other violence, gunmen killed at least seven Iraqi policemen, and wounded several others in Baquba. Outside the municipality, police found eight severed¹⁷ heads. Several bodies were also discovered in Baghdad with bullet wounds and signs of torture.

Amid continuing violence, President Bush has repeatedly stated that U.S. forces will remain in Iraq as long as they are needed to safeguard the nation's fledgling democracy. But some Democrats¹⁸ say a gradual withdrawal¹⁹ of American troops should be under way by year's end. Peter Welch, a Democratic congressional candidate from Vermont, delivered his party's Saturday radio address.

"We must ensure that 2006 is a year of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty," said Welch. "We must establish clear benchmarks for the Iraqis to take care of their own country and defend themselves, so that we can transition our troops out, and move to fight a smarter war on terrorism."

Welch criticized the Republican-led Congress' oversight²⁰ of funds allocated²¹ to the U.S. effort in Iraq and the broader war on terror

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 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

3 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。

4 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。

5 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

6 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。

7 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

8 conceal   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽

参考例句：

• He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。
• He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。

9 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

10 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。

11 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

12 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

13 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。

14 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

15 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

16 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

17 severed   

v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂

参考例句：

• The doctor said I'd severed a vessel in my leg. 医生说我割断了腿上的一根血管。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We have severed diplomatic relations with that country. 我们与那个国家断绝了外交关系。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 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。

20 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

21 allocated   

adj. 分配的 动词allocate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The Ford Foundation allocated millions of dollars for cancer research. 福特基金会拨款数百万美元用于癌症研究。
• More funds will now be allocated to charitable organizations. 现在会拨更多的资金给慈善组织。