2007年VOA标准英语-Iraqi Victims of Halabja Chemical Attack Still

By Barry Newhouse
Irbil
16 March 2007

Friday March 16 marks the 19th anniversary of Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons attack on the Kurdish village of Halabja. For the first time, Iraq's central government has marked the occasion by calling for a minute of silence to remember the victims. But VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from Irbil that many of the victims continue to suffer and some blame the government for not doing enough to help them.

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Kurdish woman places flowers at graves of her loved ones in Halabja, 16 Mar. 2007

On this day in 1988, Iraqi military forces attacked the mainly Kurdish village of Halabja, using bombs, mustard gas and other chemical weapons to kill some 5,000 people. The attack was part of a much larger plan called "Anfal," meaning "Spoils of War," that sought to dominate Iraq's Kurd majority-north - where the people had long resisted central government control.

The punishing military campaign and forced relocations drove tens-of-thousands of Kurds from their homes, but the attack on Halabja remains² one of the most notorious acts committed by Saddam Hussein's military.

Locals in Iraq's Kurdistan region Friday marked the bomb attack with five minutes of silence. And, for the first time, Iraq's central government announced it too would memorialize the attack with a minute of silence.

Falah Bakir is director of the office of foreign relations of the Kurdish Regional Government in Iraq, or KRG.

"This is a clear sign that there has been a change in Iraq and the days of the old dictatorial³ regime are over now, and it's a new system in Iraq," he said.

But while the attack on Halabja is gaining wider recognition, some victims are blaming the government for not doing enough to help them. Thousands of people still grapple with the health consequences of the chemical attacks. Birth defects and miscarriages⁴ are high in Halabja. Some fear the soil remains contaminated.

In recent months, many Halabja residents have denounced Kurdistan's regional government, saying officials remember the victims on the anniversary, but do little to help them the rest of the year.

Falah Bakir acknowledges the government needs to do more to help the victims.

"We understand the needs of the people of Halabja. We understand that their cause has been recognized internationally, but still Halabja has not been rebuilt," he said. "Therefore, the KRG has determined⁵ in the coming year or two to put more focus on Halabja and other affected⁶ areas, so that we can do something at least to change the difficult lifestyle that they have in order to work for a better future."

Falah Bakir says Kurdish officials hope, in the future, the Halabja attack will be remembered less as a symbol of Saddam Hussein's oppression, and more as an event that helped unify⁷ the Iraqi people.

1 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

2 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。

3 dictatorial   

adj. 独裁的，专断的

参考例句：

• Her father is very dictatorial.她父亲很专横。
• For years the nation had been under the heel of a dictatorial regime.多年来这个国家一直在独裁政权的铁蹄下。

4 miscarriages   

流产( miscarriage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Miscarriages are usually caused by abnormal chromosome patterns in the fetus. 流产通常是因为胎儿的染色体异常造成的。
• Criminals go unpunishedareconvicted and are miscarriages of justice. 罪犯会逍遥法外，法律会伤及无辜，审判不公时有发生。

5 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。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 unify   

vt.使联合，统一；使相同，使一致

参考例句：

• How can we unify such scattered islands into a nation?我们怎么才能把如此分散的岛屿统一成一个国家呢？
• It is difficult to imagine how the North and South could ever agree on a formula to unify the divided peninsula.很难想象南北双方在统一半岛的方案上究竟怎样才能达成一致。