VOA标准英语10月-Roadside Bomb Kills Senior Shi'ite Lawmaker in Ir

The Iraqi Shi'ite faction¹ led by cleric Moqtada al-Sadr says one of its senior lawmakers has died of wounds suffered in a bomb attack in Baghdad. But U.S. commanders in Iraq say the security situation has improved in three southern Iraqi provinces. VOA Correspondent Cindy Saine reports from Washington.

Iraqi authorities say a bomb planted on a motorcycle struck a car carrying the lawmaker Saleh al-Auqaeili as he traveled in the Sadr City neighborhood. Officials say at least two other people were killed.
　

Iraqis carry the coffin2 of parliament member Saleh al-Augaeili during his funeral in Baghdad, 9 Oct. 2008

The lawmaker is a member of a Sadrist political faction that holds 30 seats in the Iraqi parliament. Al-Sadr's cease-fire order to his militia³ has been a key factor in the sharp decline in violence in Iraq during the past year.

A senior U.S. military commander told journalists in Baghad he expects "an uptick" (increase) in violence before Iraqi regional elections early next year. Major General Michael Oates, whose division operates in Shi'ite-dominated provinces south of Baghdad, said there may be a wave of assassinations⁴ as rival factions⁵ fight for advantage.

His comments were not directly related to the Sadr City bombing.

Oates said he is concerned about "meddling⁶" from Iran's intelligence agencies in support of insurgent⁷ groups that split off from the Sadrist movement.

Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon by satellite link from Camp Ader in southern Iraq, Colonel Philip Battaglia said in the past three months, U.S. troops working with Iraqi security forces have seized about 8,000 weapons in Maysan province, many of which were smuggled⁸ across the border from Iran.

"What we have found is in the rockets in particular, we find that the manufacture and lot numbers are Iranian," he said.

Colonel Battaglia said improved security throughout Iraq had made it possible to disrupt the flow of weapons from Iran.

He added, "We know that we have had an effect, and we have disrupted the flow of weapons, after the first two months, primarily in July-August timeframe, we have found that our discovery of caches of these weapon systems has decreased."

Colonel Battaglia said unemployment and electricity are the two major problems Iraqis are facing in his southern area.

1 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

2 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

3 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。

4 assassinations   

n.暗杀( assassination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Most anarchist assassinations were bungled because of haste or spontaneity, in his view. 在他看来，无政府主义者搞的许多刺杀都没成功就是因为匆忙和自发行动。 来自辞典例句
• Assassinations by Israelis of alleged terrorists habitually kill nearby women and children. 在以色列，自称恐怖分子的炸弹自杀者杀害靠近自己的以色列妇女和儿童。 来自互联网

5 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

6 meddling   

v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He denounced all "meddling" attempts to promote a negotiation. 他斥责了一切“干预”促成谈判的企图。 来自辞典例句
• They liked this field because it was never visited by meddling strangers. 她们喜欢这块田野，因为好事的陌生人从来不到那里去。 来自辞典例句

7 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

8 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网