VOA标准英语2009年-Emboldened Al-Shabab Warns Djibouti Not to

By Alan Boswell
Nairobi
18 September 2009

 
Black smoke rises from inside AMISOM base in Mogadishu after two powerful explosions rip through AU peacekeepers force commander building in Somalia, 17 Sep 2009
A day after a brazen¹ suicide attack in the African Union peacekeeper base in Mogadishu, Somali rebel Islamic group al-Shabab threatens neighboring Djibouti that a similar fate awaits its troops should they be sent to Somalia. The attack Thursday killed 21.

The spokesman for the radical² Islamist militant³ group al-Shabab, Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage, warned the government of Djibouti against sending any forces to Somalia as part of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia, known as AMISOM.

He says that their troops should expect the same reception given to the Ugandan and Burundian soldiers killed Thursday if they too enter the country. Rage asserts that his group is already angered by the access to Djibouti's airports and seaports⁴ given to foreign governments.

Earlier this month the Djibouti ambassador to the U.S. told VOA's Somali service that it would be sending troops to Somalia to serve in AMISOM, though the ambassador declined to say how many or when.

The AMISOM spokesman in Nairobi has confirmed to VOA that the suicide bombings Thursday successfully attacked a senior meeting between AMISOM's military leadership and officials of the Western-backed transitional federal government.

Seventeen peacekeepers were killed as well as four Somali civilians⁵, who were inside the military base for the meeting. The spokesman for the prime minister of Somalia told reporters Friday that the high-level government officials were killed and wounded in the attack.

 
Burundian deputy commander for AMISOM contingent⁶ in Somalia Major General Juvenal Niyonguruza (file)
Among the dead in the blasts was deputy commander of the AMISOM forces and the top Burundian officer in Somalia, General Juvenal Niyoyunguruza. The head general, a Ugandan, was wounded.

Subsequent mortar⁷ attacks in the capital city later Wednesday reportedly killed at least 19 civilians.

The two vehicles used by the suicide attackers carried the United Nations logo on their sides. The Somali government claims that the vehicles were likely two of eight stolen U.N. cars believed to have fallen in the hands of the Islamic rebels.

AMISOM says that the two vehicles were allowed in to the compound because they were marked U.N. cars. Once inside, one of the cars flew to the nearby petrol station and blew up, and the other one exploded inside the base near the Mogadishu airport.

The United Nations was not part of the high level meeting.

The successful execution of such a boldly planned strike is a clear blow to the government led by President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, which has lost significant ground to the Islamic opposition⁸ fighters. It is unclear whether al-Shabab specifically planned the attack with full knowledge of the meeting taking place.

Many on the government side used to fight side-by-side with current rebel fighters as part of the Islamic insurgency⁹ against Ethiopia's 2006 invasion, and weaponry is believed to pass easily through the government army's hands to the opposition fighters.

Djibouti, a former French colony, is 60 percent made up of ethnic¹⁰ Somalis and is heavily Muslim. The country hosted the peace meetings that eventually led to the formation of the transitional government and the election of President Sharif, a former leader of the Islamic insurgency, earlier this year.

A group of Islamic rebels, including al-Shabab, have rejected the U.N.-backed deal and holds that the government is illegitimate. The opposition fighters now control most of Mogadishu as well as much of the country.

The AMISOM forces in Somalia are composed of about 5,000 Ugandan and Burundian troops.

1 brazen   

adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的

参考例句：

• The brazen woman laughed loudly at the judge who sentenced her.那无耻的女子冲着给她判刑的法官高声大笑。
• Some people prefer to brazen a thing out rather than admit defeat.有的人不愿承认失败，而是宁肯厚着脸皮干下去。

2 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

3 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。

4 seaports   

n.海港( seaport的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Airports have joined seaports as ports of entry for the visiting foreigner. 机场和海港一样成为来访的外国人的入境关口。 来自互联网
• Sanya has 16 seaports, 10 islands and 180km of coastline. 三亚有16个港口、10个海岛和180公里的海岸线。 来自互联网

5 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。

6 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

7 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。

8 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

9 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

10 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。