VOA标准英语2009年-6 Killed in Pakistan Suicide Bombings

By Ayaz Gul
Islamabad
20 October 2009
 
Site of suicide bombing in Islamic University in Islamabad, Pakistan, 20 Oct 2009
Two suicide blasts at a university in the Pakistani capital have killed at least six people and wound many others, mostly female students. The violence comes as Pakistani security forces are engaged in an offensive aimed at eliminating extremists that authorities blame for sponsoring most of suicide bombings across the country. 

Police and eyewitnesses¹ say that two suicide bombers² struck the capital city's International Islamic University, where thousands of students, including foreigners are taught modern as well as religious subjects. One attacker, they say, blew himself up at a canteen for female students, causing most of the casualties. A male student described the scene to reporters.

The man says he was in the nearby hostel³ and rushed to the scene of the first blast but as soon as he came out another bomb went off in the adjacent facility. He says he rushed in with other colleagues and saw two bodies at the entrance.

More than a dozen injured were brought to the main hospital in Islamabad for treatment where several female victims are said to be in critical condition. Interior Minister Rehman Malik visited the hospital and spoke⁴ to reporters.

The minister said that by targeting an institution known for teaching Islamic studies the militants⁶ have given a clear message that they are neither friends of Islam nor they are friends of Pakistan.

He suspected the latest act of violence is also linked to Taliban and al-Qaida extremists based in the Waziristan region on the border with Afghanistan.

"All roads are leading toward South Waziristan and North Waziristan where the operation is continuing," said Malik.

Pakistan's Waziristan region is known for harboring Islamic extremists linked to al-Qaida and Taliban networks who are accused of staging attacks against local as well as foreign targets in the country and across the border in Afghanistan. 

The unusual rise in terrorist attacks in recent weeks provoked the Pakistani military on Saturday to go ahead with a long-awaited offensive against militant⁵ bases in the Waziristan region. The offensive is said to have killed dozens of militants in the first four days and has seized key mountain tops and villages. The Pakistani security forces are fighting an estimate 10,000 militants in South Waziristan, including foreigners.

1 eyewitnesses   

目击者( eyewitness的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The examination of all the eyewitnesses took a week. 对所有证人的质询用了一周的时间。
• Several eyewitnesses testified that they saw the officers hit Miller in the face. 几位目击证人证明他们看见那几个警官打了米勒的脸。

2 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 hostel   

n.（学生）宿舍，招待所

参考例句：

• I lived in a hostel while I was a student.我求学期间住在青年招待所里。
• He says he's staying at a Youth Hostel.他说他现住在一家青年招待所。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

6 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。