2007年VOA标准英语-AU Peacekeepers Killed in Roadside Bomb in Moga

By Alisha Ryu
Nairobi
16 May 2007

A.U. peacekeepers from Uganda patrol on an armored vehicle in Mogadishu, 14 May 2007

A hidden roadside bomb exploded in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on Wednesday, killing¹ four African Union peacekeepers and wounding another five. VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu in our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi reports that Iraq-style guerilla attacks are on the rise in Somalia.

The African Union peacekeepers, all from Uganda, were on a routine patrol in a neighborhood near the capital's old seaport² when the blast tore through their convoy³.

It is not known what types of explosives were used in the attack. But witnesses say they were hidden in a pile of garbage and remotely-detonated.

The Ugandans arrived in Mogadishu two months ago as the vanguard of a larger A.U. peacekeeping force. But weeks of vicious fighting between Ethiopian troops and Somali insurgents⁴ had largely confined the peacekeepers to their barracks at Mogadishu Airport.

One peacekeeper was killed and four others wounded during the most recent fighting.

The Ugandans started conducting regular patrols in the city two weeks ago, after the interim⁵ government and Ethiopian officials declared that the insurgency⁶ had been defeated.

 

The spokesman for the A.U. mission, Ugandan army Captain Paddy Ankunda, tells VOA that the A.U. believes it was not insurgents but terrorists, who carried out Wednesday's attack.

"No organization has claimed responsibility yet, but our intelligence indicates that they are operatives of al-Qaida,"  he said.

Roadside bombs, frequently used in Iraq and Afghanistan to target U.S. and NATO troop convoys⁷, are also being increasingly used in Somalia.

Somali Islamists, who were driven out of power in late December by Ethiopian troops supporting the country's interim government, had vowed⁸ to wage a guerrilla war against the government, its Ethiopian military backers, and peacekeepers in Somalia.

The Somali government, Ethiopia, and the United States believe several top leaders of the Islamist movement had ties to al-Qaida and had been harboring foreign al-Qaida operatives in Mogadishu before they were ousted⁹ from power.

But Somalis in Mogadishu say there are no al-Qaida operatives in the capital now. They say the insurgency is being largely waged by Somali nationalists and angry sub-clan¹⁰ members of the locally-dominant Hawiye clan, who feel disenfranchised and discriminated¹¹ against by the transitional federal government of President Abdullahi Yusuf.

The president, who is a member of the rival Darod clan, is accused, among other things, of placing his relatives and allies in key positions in government to weaken the Hawiye politically and economically.

International donors¹², including the United States and the European Union, have urged President Yusuf to convene¹³ a national reconciliation¹⁴ conference next month with all segments of Somali society, including government opponents.

1 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。

2 seaport   

n.海港，港口，港市

参考例句：

• Ostend is the most important seaport in Belgium.奥斯坦德是比利时最重要的海港。
• A seaport where ships can take on supplies of coal.轮船能够补充煤炭的海港。

3 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

4 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

5 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

6 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

7 convoys   

n.（有护航的）船队( convoy的名词复数 )；车队；护航（队）；护送队

参考例句：

• Truck convoys often stop over for lunch here. 车队经常在这里停下来吃午饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A UN official said aid programs will be suspended until there's adequate protection for relief convoys. 一名联合国官员说将会暂停援助项目，直到援助车队能够得到充分的保护为止。 来自辞典例句

8 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

9 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

10 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

11 discriminated   

分别，辨别，区分( discriminate的过去式和过去分词 )； 歧视，有差别地对待

参考例句：

• His great size discriminated him from his followers. 他的宽广身材使他不同于他的部下。
• Should be a person that has second liver virus discriminated against? 一个患有乙肝病毒的人是不是就应该被人歧视？

12 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 convene   

v.集合，召集，召唤，聚集，集合

参考例句：

• The Diet will convene at 3p.m. tomorrow.国会将于明天下午三点钟开会。
• Senior officials convened in October 1991 in London.1991年10月，高级官员在伦敦会齐。

14 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。