VOA标准英语2009-Somali Security Minister Killed in Suicide A

The internal security minister in Somalia's fragile, internationally-backed government has been killed in a suicide attack. The blast, which took place in the town of Beledweyne near the Ethiopian border, killed at least 20 people.

Omar Hashi Aden had been a key figure in the Somali government's efforts to counter the Islamist insurgency¹ that is seeking to take control of the country. He had arrived in Beledweyne earlier this month to lead operations against Islamist insurgents³ in the area.
　
Somali President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed speaks to journalists, in Mogadishu, Somalia, 18 Jun 2009

Somalia's president, Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed confirmed that Aden, as well as a former Somali ambassador to Ethiopia, Abdul Karim Farah Laqanyo, were killed in the Beledweyne attack.

He said he was sending his condolences to the families of the victims. He called the attack a terrorist act and blamed al-Qaida.

According to witnesses, a small car exploded after driving up to the Medina Hotel in Beledweyne. In addition to Somalia's former ambassador to Ethiopia, other officials may also have been among the victims of the blast.

A spokesman for the al-Shabab militia⁴, Ali Muhamud Rage, claimed responsibility for the attack at the hotel.

Rage said the man they called the security minister brought Christians⁵ to the country and destroyed our land and people. He said one of our fighters carried out a martyrdom operation and killed the security minister and Abdukarim Laqanyo while they were meeting at a hotel in Beledweyn.

Suicide attacks have been relatively⁶ uncommon⁷ in the Islamist insurgency that began in early 2007. But that may be changing. A suicide attack on a government base last month killed six, and at the time al-Shabab vowed⁸ to carry out more attacks.

The U.S. State Department calls al-Shabab a terrorist organization with ties to al Qaida. In a statement, the United States condemned⁹ the suicide attack, praising Aden's efforts to rebuild Somalia's security forces, and calling for continued support to the transitional government.

The United States has long worried that Islamist terrorists, including members of Al-Qaida, could use Somalia as a haven¹⁰. The Somali government has said foreign fighters have been involved in recent insurgent² attacks, and the United Nation's representative recently said as many as 300 foreign fighters could be in the country.

Somalia has seen some of the most intense fighting in years since insurgents launched a new offensive in early May. Much of the fighting has been in the capital, Mogadishu. More than 250 people have been killed and the UN says more than 122,000 have been displaced.

The fighting in the last 48 hours has been particularly fierce, with dozens reported killed in clashes between Islamist insurgents from the Shabab and Hizbul Islam militias¹¹ and government forces and their allies.

The insurgents say that President Ahmed's government is not committed to establishing an Islamist state, despite its efforts to introduce Islamic law in the country. The insurgents also say the government is too close to Ethiopia and the United States, and wants African Union peacekeepers based in the capital to leave the country.

Somalia has been without a proper central government since 1991. Nearly half of the country's population requires food aid.

1 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

2 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。

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 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。

5 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

6 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

7 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

8 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。

9 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。

10 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

11 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网