2006年VOA标准英语-US Military: Zarqawi Died of Blast Injuries

By Challiss McDonough
Cairo
12 June 2006

U.S. military doctors now say militant¹ leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi lived for nearly an hour after his hideout was torn apart by two precision-guided 500 pound bombs. The latest details on the terrorist leader's death were released with the results of an autopsy² that was performed on him.

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The U.S. military says DNA³ results have confirmed that the man killed in the air strike was Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

 

Photo released by U.S. Department of Defense⁴, shows Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, held by a gloved hand after he was killed in an airstrike on outskirts⁵ of Hibhib, near Baqouba  
  

The command surgeon for U.S. forces in Iraq, Col. Steve Jones, said Zarqawi died 52 minutes after the first bomb struck his hideout.

"The injuries to his lungs were not survivable. That's what killed him," Col. Jones said.

Jones said there was no evidence of beatings or gunshot wounds.

Coalition⁶ spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell says Zarqawi survived the initial blasts, and was treated by a U.S. military medic who arrived on the scene with coalition troops 28 minutes later.

"The medical care was provided there on the scene," he said. "The medic determined⁸ very early on in the process, after clearing his airway⁹ and having, as the report reads, quite a bit of blood come out from his lungs, that his... carotid pulse was such that he was not going to live. I mean, it was very evident that he had extremely massive internal injuries, but they continued to provide medical care for him on the site at that point."

U.S. military officials say six people were killed in the air strike, including Zarqawi and his spiritual advisor¹⁰, a man known as Sheikh Abdel-Rahman.

A medical examiner who was not identified and spoke⁷ to reporters by telephone said Abdel-Rahman was killed instantly and was apparently¹¹ very close to the blast.

"I believe that Sheikh Abdel-Rahman was thrown against the wall or something because his head injury was the most devastating¹² injury," he said. "The skull¹³ was fractured badly."

The officials said they have not identified the other four people who were killed in the blasts, including three women. They said their bodies have been turned over to Iraqi authorities.

Jones said Abdel-Rahman's shrapnel wounds were more severe than Zarqawi's but it appears that both men were inside the building when the bomb struck. He said Zarqawi died of "primary blast injury," meaning the pressure from the explosion literally¹⁴ tore apart his lungs and eardrums.

"Because Zarqawi died from primary blast injury, he must have been in an enclosed space where the peak pressure of the blast was magnified," he said. "That is how we know he was inside the house when he was hit."

In a message posted on the Internet, al-Qaida in Iraq has announced Zarqawi's replacement¹⁵. The militant group said it has appointed Sheikh Abu Hamza al-Muhajer to take their dead leader's place. The statement called him a "pious¹⁶ brother with a history of jihad and a strong scholarly background."

Little is known about him, and the group did not give his nationality, but the word "Muhajer" means "immigrant" in Arabic

1 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

2 autopsy   

n.尸体解剖；尸检

参考例句：

• They're carrying out an autopsy on the victim.他们正在给受害者验尸。
• A hemorrhagic gut was the predominant lesion at autopsy.尸检的主要发现是肠出血。

3 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

4 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

5 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

6 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。

7 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。

8 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

9 airway   

n.空中航线，通风口

参考例句：

• Lay them on their side and ensure the airway is unobstructed.让他们侧躺着，并确保呼吸道畅通。
• There is a purple airway in London Airport.伦敦机场里有一条皇家专用飞机跑道。

10 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

11 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

12 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

13 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

14 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

15 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

16 pious   

adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的

参考例句：

• Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。
• Her mother was a pious Christian.她母亲是一个虔诚的基督教徒。