VOA标准英语2009年-Bomb Kills 25 in Afghanistan

Authorities in Afghanistan say that a powerful bomb explosion in a central province has killed 25 people, including at least 15 school children. President Hamid Karzai has condemned¹ the blast as a "savage² and anti-Islamic attack." The violence comes as thousands of U.S Marines are engaged in a major anti-insurgency³ offensive in the south of the country.
　
People stand around the crater⁴ caused by a bomb blast in the Mohammad Agha district on the main road from Kabul to the Logar province, Afghanistan, 09 Jul 2009

The bomb explosion occurred in the central province of Logar and officials say that several policemen are also among those killed.

Afghan Interior Ministry⁵ spokesman Zamary Bashary tells VOA the explosive was hidden in a timber truck overturned on the side of the road the night before. The bomb was detonated, he says, when local police arrived in the morning to check the abandoned vehicle.

"We are really sorry to say that among those 25 people, 15 of them are school children who were getting in to their school and they saw the vehicle that was overturned and they just came nearby to see what is going on with the vehicle, which was detonated and unfortunately killed all of them in a very cruel and inhuman⁶ way," he said.

The number of people killed in the attack is the worst death toll⁷ from a single blast in Afghanistan this year.

Taliban insurgents⁹ have stepped up attacks on local and foreign targets in recent months, provoking NATO and U.S forces to launch a major offensive in the militant-dominated southern province of Helmand. Thousands of U.S. Marines are involved in the assault, the biggest since international forces ousted¹⁰ the Taliban from power in late 2001.

Military commanders have not reported any major engagement with militants¹¹ in Helmand.

But there is no let up in insurgent⁸ attacks on Afghan civilians¹² and on local, as well as coalition¹³ forces across the country. The violence has left up to 20 foreign troops dead in the past week, most of them from the United States and Britain.

NATO officials reported deaths of two more soldiers on Thursday in southern Afghanistan, but gave no other details.
　
Chairman of NATO Military Committee, Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola (Italian Navy)

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in neighboring Pakistan, chairman of the NATO's military committee, Admiral Giampaolo di Paola described the offensive in Afghanistan's Helmand Province as an important step toward eliminating Taliban strongholds in southern parts of the country. He says that Helmand Province is also known for producing most of the narcotics¹⁴ in Afghanistan that the NATO official says is feeding the Taliban terror activities.

"So now that we are going in to try to clear and hold [the ground] and to protect and allow the people of that region to live more safe, to have the freedom to go to vote, to have the freedom to go to schools, to have the freedom to send women in the activity they feel appropriate for women, well I think this is a very important step we are taking to dry down the breathing ground of terror," he said.

Afghanistan's southern provinces are seen as the center of the Taliban-led insurgency. Coalition commanders believe some of the top Taliban leaders have taken refuge in the southwestern Pakistani province of Baluchistan, which borders southern parts of Afghanistan, but Pakistan denies the allegation.

1 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。

2 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

3 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

4 crater   

n.火山口，弹坑

参考例句：

• With a telescope you can see the huge crater of Ve-suvius.用望远镜你能看到巨大的维苏威火山口。
• They came to the lip of a dead crater.他们来到了一个死火山口。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 inhuman   

adj.残忍的，不人道的，无人性的

参考例句：

• We must unite the workers in fighting against inhuman conditions.我们必须使工人们团结起来反对那些难以忍受的工作条件。
• It was inhuman to refuse him permission to see his wife.不容许他去看自己的妻子是太不近人情了。

7 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

8 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。

9 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

10 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

11 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。

12 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。

13 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

14 narcotics   

n.麻醉药( narcotic的名词复数 )；毒品；毒

参考例句：

• The use of narcotics by teenagers is a problem in many countries. 青少年服用麻醉药在许多国家中都是一个问题。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Police shook down the club, looking for narcotics. 警方彻底搜查了这个俱乐部，寻找麻醉品。 来自《简明英汉词典》