2007年VOA标准英语-Afghan Officials Say NATO Airstrike Killed Wome

By Benjamin Sand
Islamabad
09 May 2007

Local officials in southern Afghanistan say an air strike has killed at least 21 civilians², including women and children. The U.S. military says it was fighting Taleban insurgents³ in the area, but it has not confirmed any civilian¹ casualties. VOA correspondent Benjamin Sand reports from Islamabad that the incident is the latest fueling Afghan concerns about international military operations.

Man injured in Helmand province raid lies in vehicle en route to hospital, 09 May 2007

The governor of Helmand province says the civilians were killed Tuesday evening after insurgents in the isolated⁴ Sangin Valley district sought refuge inside villagers' homes during heavy combat.

NATO and U.S. special forces are targeting Taleban insurgents in the area, and fighting throughout the district has intensified⁵ in recent days.

U.S. military spokesman, Major Chris Belcher, says a number of militants⁶ were killed in the fighting, but he says there are no confirmed reports of civilian deaths.

"If we receive confirmed reports of civilian casualties, of course we will investigate it," he said. "We take all reports of civilian casualties seriously, and we do everything in our operations to prevent civilian casualties."

Major Belcher says the fighting erupted after suspected Taleban insurgents opened fire on Afghan soldiers and U.S. special forces on patrol.

The Sangin valley is considered a Taleban stronghold as well as a major center for illegal opium⁷ production.

As NATO forces struggle to regain⁸ control of the district, military officials say civilian casualties are eroding⁹ public support for the international mission in Afghanistan.

Violent anti-American protests broke out in the western province of Herat last week after local authorities there said 51 civilians were killed.

On Tuesday, a U.S. military commander issued a public apology to families of Afghan civilians killed by American Marines following a suicide bombing earlier this year.

The commander called the killing¹⁰ of innocent Afghans by American troops "a terrible stain" on America's honor and acknowledged civilian casualties are hurting the military's image in Afghanistan.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai (file photo)

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly condemned¹¹ the loss of innocent lives, most recently during a nationally televised speech last week.

"We can no longer accept our civilian casualties," Karzai said. "We can no longer accept it. We are very sorry when an international coalition¹² force NATO soldier loses his life or is wounded, but Afghans are human beings too."

Afghan politicians say they are under increasing pressure to act.

On Tuesday, the country's upper house of Parliament passed a bill demanding an end to international military operations unless they are first coordinated¹³ with the Afghan government or the international forces come under direct attack.

The bill, which still needs to be passed by the lower house before the president can sign it into law, also called for direct talks with the Taleban.

1 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

2 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。

3 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

4 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

5 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

7 opium   

n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的

参考例句：

• That man gave her a dose of opium.那男人给了她一剂鸦片。
• Opium is classed under the head of narcotic.鸦片是归入麻醉剂一类的东西。

8 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

9 eroding   

侵蚀，腐蚀( erode的现在分词 )； 逐渐毁坏，削弱，损害

参考例句：

• The coast is slowly eroding. 海岸正慢慢地被侵蚀。
• Another new development is eroding the age-old stereotype of the male warrior. 另一个新现象是，久已形成的男人皆武士的形象正逐渐消失。

10 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。

11 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

12 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。

13 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法