叙利亚霍姆斯发生汽车爆炸事件 32人死亡

AS IT IS 2015-12-30 Deadly Bombings in Homs, Syria 叙利亚霍姆斯发生汽车爆炸事件 32人死亡

Up to 32 people were killed in two bomb attacks Monday in the Syrian city of Homs, near the border with Lebanon.

The second attack killed people who gathered to see the damage of an earlier car bomb. A suicide bomber¹ entered the crowd and exploded a bomb hidden in clothing.

The attacks took place in the al-Zahraa district, in the central part of the city. State-controlled media say 19 people were killed in the two bombings. The Syrian Observatory² for Human Rights says 32 people were killed. Many others were hurt.

It was the second major attack in Homs since the government and rebel forces reached a cease-fire agreement this month. The government will take back areas of the city controlled by rebels.

On December 12, two bombings killed at least 16 people. Those attacks also took place in the al-Zahraa district. The Islamic State terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The Wall Street Journal newspaper reports that many people who live in the neighborhood are members of the Alawite sect³. President Bashar al-Assad and top members of his government belong to the sect. The newspaper reports the area is often “attacked by anti-government rebels armed with rockets and vehicle bombs.”

Separately, rebels and others began leaving three Syrian towns this week under a humanitarian⁴ agreement reached in September. The agreement between the government of President Bashar al-Assad and the rebels who oppose him is supported by the United Nations.

On Monday, more than 120 rebels, and others who are hurt, began leaving the town of Zabadani. It is the last area rebels control in Syria near the border with Lebanon. The Syrian Observatory said they were being moved to areas in Syria controlled by opponents of the government.

Also on Monday, a group of 335 people, including civilians⁵, moved from two government-controlled villages in northwestern Syria to other government-held areas.

UN voted on Syrian peace plan

On December 18, all members of the U.N. Security Council voted to approve a plan for peace in Syria. It was a rare unanimous vote.

Staffan de Mistura is the U.N. peace negotiator for Syria. Saturday, he said he hoped to begin peace talks January 25. He said the talks would include members of the different Syrian opposition⁶ groups and others. He said the talks would require the “full cooperation” of all those involved in the conflict if they are to succeed.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and others have said ending the civil war in Syria is the most important step in defeating the Islamic State group and bringing stability to the area.

More than 250,000 people have died in the Syrian conflict since it began in 2011. More than 4 million people have fled the country.

Words in This Story

sect – n. a religious group that is a smaller part of a larger group and whose members all share similar beliefs; also, a religious or political group that is connected to a larger group but that has beliefs that differ greatly from those of the main group

unanimous – adj. agreed to by everyone

1 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

2 observatory   

n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台

参考例句：

• Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
• Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。

3 sect   

n.派别，宗教，学派，派系

参考例句：

• When he was sixteen he joined a religious sect.他16岁的时候加入了一个宗教教派。
• Each religious sect in the town had its own church.该城每一个宗教教派都有自己的教堂。

4 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

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 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。