英国卫报：萨达姆雕像的倒塌：美军如何制造神话(10)

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Lambert's claim that some Iraqis wanted to pull down the statue is corroborated¹ to some extent by Kadhim Sharif Hassan al-Jabouri, a local mechanic.

兰伯特称一些伊拉克人想要推倒这座雕像，并在一定程度上得到了当地机械师卡迪姆·谢里夫·哈桑·贾卜利的证实。

Kadhim claimed that he had once fixed² motorcycles for Saddam and his son Uday, but there had been a dispute over money. Uday had him thrown in prison.

卡迪姆称他曾为萨达姆和他的儿子乌代修理过摩托车，但在钱的问题上有过争执，乌代把他关进了监狱。

"Fourteen or 15 people in my own family were executed by Saddam," Kadhim told the BBC.

卡迪姆告诉BBC：“我家里有14或15个人被萨达姆处决了。”

When he heard American forces were coming, he was happy.

当他听到美国军队要来的时候他很高兴。

He says he took his sledgehammer and left his nearby garage to go to Firdos Square.

他说，他拿着大锤离开附近的车库，去了佛多斯广场。

Lambert asked Lewis: "If a sledgehammer and rope fell off the 88, would you mind?"

兰伯特问刘易斯：“如果有大锤和绳子从88装甲车上掉下来，你会介意吗？”

"I wouldn't mind," Lewis replied. "But don't use the 88."

“我不介意，”刘易斯回答。“但别用88装甲车。”

Lambert says he gave the Iraqis his sledgehammer, though Kadhim claims to have brought his own.

兰伯特说他把自己的大锤给了伊拉克人，尽管卡迪姆声称自己也带了。

It is unclear, then, whether the idea to attack the statue came from a relatively³ low-ranking US soldier, from an Iraqi civilian⁴, or from both.

目前尚不清楚袭击这座雕像的想法是来自一个级别相对较低的美国士兵，还是来自一个伊拉克平民，还是两者兼而有之。

Kadhim began to hammer at the statue, but all he could really do was get a couple of plaques⁵ off the base.

卡迪姆开始锤打雕像，但他所能做的只是从底座上弄下几块饰板。

Lambert's rope was thrown around the statue's neck. There was little chance of this small crowd toppling such a large bronze.

兰伯特将绳子套在了雕像的脖子上。这一小群人几乎不可能推倒这么大的青铜雕像。

An hour went by. Saddam was not budging⁶.

一个小时过去了。萨达姆的雕像并未移动。

"We watched them with the rope, and I knew that was never going to happen," Lambert told journalist Peter Maass, who wrote a detailed⁷ investigation⁸ of the felling of the statue in 2011. "They were never going to get it down."

兰伯特告诉记者彼得·马斯：“我们看着他们用绳子，我知道不可能推倒。”马斯在2011年写了一份关于雕像倒塌的详细调查报告。“他们永远推不倒它。”

At this point, the handful of Iraqis having a go at the statue seemed inclined to give up and go home.

在这一点上，少数一些想要参观这座雕像的伊拉克人似乎倾向于放弃并回家。

Just then, McCoy came out of the hotel. "I realised this was a big deal," he said.

就在这时，麦考伊从旅馆里出来了。“我意识到这是一件大事，”他说。

"You've got all the press out there and everybody is liquored up on the moment. You have this Paris 1944 feel. I remember thinking, the media is watching the Iraqis trying to topple this icon⁹ of Saddam Hussein. Let's give them a hand."

“所有的媒体都在那里，那一刻大家都醉了，你会有1944年巴黎的感觉。我记得我当时想，媒体正看着伊拉克人试图推倒萨达姆·侯赛因的偶像，让我们为他们鼓掌。”

McCoy radioed a senior officer, who authorised him to involve troops directly in pulling down the statue.

麦考伊通过无线电联系了一名高级军官，后者授权他直接动用军队拆除雕像。

McCoy told his troops they could use the M-88 recovery vehicle after all, providing there were no fatalities¹⁰.

麦考伊告诉他的部队，只要没有人员伤亡，他们还是可以使用M-88装甲车。

1 corroborated   

v.证实，支持（某种说法、信仰、理论等）( corroborate的过去式 )

参考例句：

• The evidence was corroborated by two independent witnesses. 此证据由两名独立证人提供。
• Experiments have corroborated her predictions. 实验证实了她的预言。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

3 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。

4 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

5 plaques   

（纪念性的）匾牌( plaque的名词复数 )； 纪念匾； 牙斑； 空斑

参考例句：

• Primary plaques were detectable in 16 to 20 hours. 在16到20小时内可查出原发溶斑。
• The gondoliers wore green and white livery and silver plaques on their chests. 船夫们穿着白绿两色的制服，胸前别着银质徽章。

6 budging   

v.（使）稍微移动( budge的现在分词 )；（使）改变主意，（使）让步

参考例句：

• Give it up, plumber. She's not budging. 别费劲了，水管工。她不会改变主意的。 来自互联网
• I wondered how Albert who showed no intention of budging, felt about Leopold's desertion. 对于从未有迁徙打算的艾伯特来说，我不知道它会怎样看待利奥波德这样弃它而去呢。 来自互联网

7 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

8 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

9 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

10 fatalities   

n.恶性事故( fatality的名词复数 )；死亡；致命性；命运

参考例句：

• Several people were injured, but there were no fatalities. 有几个人受伤，但没有人死亡。
• The accident resulted in fatalities. 那宗意外道致多人死亡。 来自《简明英汉词典》