voa标准英语2008年-Suicide Bomber Kills 3 in Afghan Capital

A suicide bomber¹ targeted a German embassy vehicle in the Afghan capital, Kabul, but killed three Afghan civilians² and wounded six others instead. VOA's Barry Newhouse has this report from Kabul.
　

A German security man stands guard after a suicide attack on a German Embassy vehicle in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, 30 Nov. 2008

The attack occurred near Afghanistan's parliament Sunday afternoon, close to a Toyota Land Cruiser carrying a group of foreigners.

Witnesses said the bomber was on foot when he tiggered the blast. Mohammedajan, a young bicycle repairman, was working nearby at the time of the explosion.

He says I was talking to one of my friends when the blast occurred. After it, he says we flattened³ ourselves against the ground until the police came.

Afghanistan's parliament is a heavily guarded compound ringed by tall blast walls. The explosion took place some 200 meters away, near a high school and a convoy⁴ of NATO troops.

Kabul's police chief Mohammad Ayub Salangi said those killed were civilians.

He says the bomber was targeting a German embassy vehicle. He says none of the officials were wounded in the attack.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has condemned⁵ the blast and expressed his condolences to the victims. The suicide bombing is the second in Kabul since Thursday, when a car bomb blast killed four people and wounded some 20 others outside the U.S. embassy.

Afghanistan has experienced a surge in Taliban attacks this year. But in Kabul in recent months, locals have expressed as much concern over a rise in criminal activity as terrorist attacks. For-profit kidnappings, robberies and car-jackings have plagued Afghan businessmen. Kidnappers⁶ have also targeted foreigners.

Taliban spokesmen have denied responsibility for many of the crimes, but on Sunday, Kabul's police chief told reporters there is solid evidence of links between some of the capital's criminal gangs and Taliban militants⁷.

1 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。

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 flattened   

[医]（水）平扁的，弄平的

参考例句：

• She flattened her nose and lips against the window. 她把鼻子和嘴唇紧贴着窗户。
• I flattened myself against the wall to let them pass. 我身体紧靠着墙让他们通过。

4 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。

5 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。

6 kidnappers   

n.拐子，绑匪( kidnapper的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They were freed yesterday by their kidnappers unharmed. 他们昨天被绑架者释放了，没有受到伤害。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The kidnappers had threatened to behead all four unless their jailed comrades were released. 帮匪们曾经威胁说如果印度方面不释放他们的同伙，他们就要将这四名人质全部斩首。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。