VOA标准英语10月-Afghan Policeman Kills US Soldier

For the second time in a month American troops in eastern Afghanistan have been fired on by a local policeman. VOA Correspondent Steve Herman reports from Kabul that in this latest incident a U.S. soldier was killed.

U.S. military and provincial¹ officials in Paktika say an American soldier has been shot dead by an Afghan policeman.

U.S. Army Major John Redfield told VOA News a group of American soldiers were returning from a routine patrol when they came under fire from a member of the Afghan National Police.

"The ANP member shot from a tower and also threw a hand grenade toward the troops who were returning to their base," he said. "The other service members in the group fired back on the tower and killed the ANP member."
　

Afghan police officer stands at damaged police post after explosion in the outskirts2 of Kabul, 24 Sep 2008

This is the second time in a month an Afghan police officer has attacked and killed an American soldier. In that attack, at a police station in the same province, the policeman also was killed.

The incidents raise concern insurgents³ may have infiltrated⁴ Afghanistan's corruption-ridden police force.

Major Redfield says it is premature⁵ to speculate on a motive⁶ for this latest incident in the Bermel district of Paktika province, 200 kilometers south of Kabul.

"That is a question, of course, that would be investigated," he said. "So that will be part of the investigation⁷. But at this time I do not know the reason why the Afghan policeman would have done this."

Afghan police and soldiers routinely work alongside international forces to battle the rising insurgency⁸.
　

Afghans check the debris9 of a house destroyed during an attack by Taliban militants10 in Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital of Helmand province, 15 Oct 2008

Suspected Taliban rebels, meanwhile, are continuing their assault on the city of Lashkar Gah in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. Officials say a civilian¹¹ died and five others were wounded when insurgents fired a rocket into a market. The area is known as a major opium¹² producing center.

Provincial police say that nearby in the Nad Ali district an air strike by international troops may have killed as many as 18 people, including some women and children. A statement from the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force says it is investigating the claim, but is unaware¹³ of civilian casualties.

President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly warned that civilian deaths from such bombing runs hurt public support for his government and the international military mission in Afghanistan.

NATO and U.S.-led forces have vowed¹⁴ to do whatever possible to minimize civilian casualties following a U.S. special forces raid two months ago in Herat province.

Afghanistan's government says 90 civilians¹⁵ were killed by a bombing run during the operation. The U.S. military conducted an investigation concluding that 33 civilians had died and that troops had acted in line with the rules of engagement.

1 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

2 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

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 infiltrated   

adj.[医]浸润的v.（使）渗透，（指思想）渗入人的心中( infiltrate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The headquarters had been infiltrated by enemy spies. 总部混入了敌方特务。
• Many Chinese idioms have infiltrated into the Japanese language. 许多中国成语浸透到日语中。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

6 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

7 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

8 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

9 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

10 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。

11 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。

12 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。

13 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

14 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。

15 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。