2006年VOA标准英语-US Vows Full Investigation Into Haditha In

By Stephanie Ho
Washington
04 June 2006

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says there will a full investigation¹ into reports that American Marines last November indiscriminately shot and killed innocent civilians³ in the Iraqi town of Haditha. The allegations, which came to light recently, have caused some friction⁴ between the U.S. and Iraqi governments, and is stirring up heated debate in Washington.

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US Marines on patrol in Haditha, Iraq (file photo)   
  

The Iraqi town of Haditha is becoming increasingly notorious for an incident that took place last November. No one disputes that an explosive device killed a U.S. Marine². But what happened afterwards has become the focus of scrutiny⁵. The fallen Marine's comrades allegedly shot and killed as many as 24 civilians. Why they did it, though, and under what circumstances, are some of the issues that are under investigation.

Speaking on the CBS television program Face the Nation, Secretary of State Rice was asked whether Washington will hand over its files on Haditha to the Iraqis, so they can conduct their own investigation. She said she is certain there will be full cooperation with the Iraqi government on this case. But she cautioned that the accused are innocent until proven guilty.

"Let's remember that when this happens in a democracy, there is full investigation and there will be full investigation," said Condoleezza Rice. "But there is also the right of the accused to have due process."

She said President Bush is personally concerned and has called the incident "deeply troubling." Rice added though that criminal actions by some U.S. troops in Iraq should not overshadow their main purpose there.

"The great mass of American soldiers are there, taking casualties, making sacrifices, to protect the Iraqi people," she said.

The events in Haditha were also hotly debated by U.S. lawmakers.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Fox News Sunday there are two issues under investigation - the killings⁶ themselves and possible cover-up by officers in the U.S. Marine Corps⁷.

"The allegations are that some Marines used deadly force inappropriately, violated the rules of engagement, the law of armed conflict, that some officers may have had direct knowledge of this activity and failed to report it, that other people in the chain of command should have known and failed to do anything about it, a dereliction of duty allegation," said Lindsey Graham.

Speaking on the same program, Senator Jack⁸ Reed, a Democrat⁹ from Rhode Island, said he thinks the events in Haditha indicate what he described as the "tremendous pressure" U.S. soldiers face in Iraq.

"These are young Marines, young soldiers," said Jack Reed. "They're in a hostile situation, where at one moment, they're trying to establish rapport¹⁰ with Iraqis by interacting with them. The next moment, there's an explosion they think that those culprits are among those same people. Tremendous pressure. Now, also, many of these Marines are going back for the second or third time. So, this is not an excuse for what might have happened, but it puts it into context."

He added that he believes the Haditha incident is a sign U.S. troops need to, in his words, "rapidly redeploy out" of Iraq. But Rice repeated that there are no imminent¹¹ plans to reduce the number of American troops in Iraq. There are about 133,000 U.S. troops there

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 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

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 friction   

n.摩擦，摩擦力

参考例句：

• When Joan returned to work,the friction between them increased.琼回来工作后，他们之间的摩擦加剧了。
• Friction acts on moving bodies and brings them to a stop.摩擦力作用于运动着的物体，并使其停止。

5 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

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 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

8 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

9 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

10 rapport   

n.和睦，意见一致

参考例句：

• She has an excellent rapport with her staff.她跟她职员的关系非常融洽。
• We developed a high degree of trust and a considerable personal rapport.我们发展了高度的互相信任和不错的私人融洽关系。

11 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。