2007年VOA标准英语-US Military Praises Iraqi Forces For Protecting

By Cindy Saine
Washington
10 August 2007

In Iraq Friday, a car bomb killed at least eight people and wounded dozens more in the northern Kurdish city of Kirkuk. But U.S. military officials are praising the performance of Iraqi security forces in Baghdad, after hundreds of thousands of Shi'ite pilgrims marched to a shrine¹ Thursday, without any major violence.  VOA's Cindy Saine reports from Washington.

Shi'ite pilgrims touch the tomb of Imam Moussa al-Kadhim in the Kazimiyah neighborhood of north Baghdad, 09 Aug 2007

Baghdad was largely calm Friday, as many of the Shi'ite pilgrims headed home.  The pilgrims had converged² on Baghdad's Kazimiyah district for an annual observance at the tomb of a revered³ imam.

At a news briefing from Baghdad, U.S. Army Colonel John Castles, commander of the Second Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, said Iraqi forces took the lead in keeping the pilgrims safe.

 "They have done an absolutely amazing job.  We have been in solely⁴ a support role, in the background only," he said.  "And this is something the Iraqis planned themselves, coordinated⁵ and then executed over a span of three or four days.  And that's not easy to do when you're talking about three or four million people, walking down the streets into Baghdad, to this religious observance."

Last year, snipers killed at least 20 Shi'ites in Baghdad as they walked to the shrine.  At the same observance in 2005, an estimated 1,000 pilgrims died in a stampede over a bridge that was triggered by rumors⁶ of a suicide bomber⁷.

mosque8 in Kufa, central Iraq, 25 May 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070817/1112491.jpg" width="199" vspace="2" border="0" />

Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr speaks to supporters at Friday prayers at his local mosque in Kufa, central Iraq, 25 May 2007

Colonel Castles also told reporters that the U.S. military believes the radical⁹ Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has traveled again to Iran, and that he has lost some influence over his Mahdi Army militia¹⁰, which the U.S. holds responsible for a number of attacks against U.S. and coalition¹¹ forces.

"I think he is now in Iran," he added.  "So just based on his location, that implies some of his control is not direct.  And we certainly haven't seen him in Sadr City operating."

Colonel Castles' soldiers are responsible for the Shi'ite slum of Sadr City, the cleric's stronghold.

A spokesman for Sadr's office in the southern city of Najaf was quick to respond, saying the anti-American cleric remains¹² inside Iraq.

U.S. officials say Sadr first entered Iran in January this year and sought refuge there for four months as the U.S. sent additional troops to the Baghdad area. He was last seen in public in May in southern Iraq's holy city of Kufa.

1 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

2 converged   

v.（线条、运动的物体等）会于一点( converge的过去式 )；（趋于）相似或相同；人或车辆汇集；聚集

参考例句：

• Thousands of supporters converged on London for the rally. 成千上万的支持者从四面八方汇聚伦敦举行集会。
• People converged on the political meeting from all parts of the city. 人们从城市的四面八方涌向这次政治集会。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 revered   

v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of institutions revered and respected in earlier times have become Aunt Sally for the present generation. 一些早年受到尊崇的惯例，现在已经成了这代人嘲弄的对象了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven. 中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。 来自辞典例句

4 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

5 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

6 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

8 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

9 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

10 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

11 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。

12 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。