2006年VOA标准英语-Iraq Violence Continues in Spite of Ramadan

By Jeff Swicord
Washington, DC
29 September 2006
 
watch Iraq Violence report

 
Iraq violence continues
Violence in Iraq continues to escalate¹ in this first week of Ramadan.  This comes as new polls reveal more about Iraqi public opinion. 

The surge in violence continued Thursday in Baghdad, as 15 people were killed in a string of attacks across the city.  Four died and 12 were wounded in two simultaneous bombings along busy Sadoun Street.  Officials also reported finding more victims of sectarian death squads².  And according to U.S. military officials, illegal militias³ are beginning to return to neighborhoods previously⁴ cleared by U.S. forces.

The surge in violence comes as a new poll conducted by Worldpublicopinion.org found that 7 in 10 Iraqis want U.S. forces to leave Iraq within a year.  And an overwhelming majority believe the U.S. presence in the country is provoking more conflict than it is preventing.

 
Steve Kull
Steven Kull is editor of Worldpublicopinion.org. He says, "The confidence in U.S. military forces is quite low.  Overall, 84 percent say they have none or just a little confidence in U.S. military forces.  With the Shia and the Sunni overwhelmingly having this feeling.  The Kurds though, a modest majority [are] expressing still some confidence in U.S. forces."

A similar poll conducted by an American University showed the same findings.

The Bush administration has repeatedly stressed that victory in Iraq will not be easy and there will be setbacks along the way.  But it says success in Iraq is critical to the overall war on terror.

Meanwhile, in a Washington Post article published Thursday, a U.S. inspector⁵ general has recommended the $75 million Baghdad police academy be closed. Officials say it is so poorly constructed it poses health risks to students.  The training of a professional police force and army  is considered essential, so that U.S. forces can hand over security responsibilities to the Iraqis and withdraw from the country.  The Army Corps⁶ of Engineers says the Iraqi subcontractors who built the academy will be forced to fix the problems as part of their warranty⁷ work.

The continued violence and recent setbacks came as the month-long Islamic holiday of Ramadan began this week -- a time when U.S. officials were hoping there would be a decrease in violence. 

1 escalate   

v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级

参考例句：

• It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
• Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。

2 squads   

n.（军队中的）班( squad的名词复数 )；（暗杀）小组；体育运动的运动（代表）队；（对付某类犯罪活动的）警察队伍

参考例句：

• Anti-riot squads were called out to deal with the situation. 防暴队奉命出动以对付这一局势。 来自辞典例句
• Three squads constitute a platoon. 三个班组成一个排。 来自辞典例句

3 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

4 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

5 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

6 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

7 warranty   

n.担保书，证书，保单

参考例句：

• This warranty is good for one year after the date of the purchase of the product.本保证书自购置此产品之日起有效期为一年。
• As your guarantor,we have signed a warranty to the bank.作为你们的担保人，我们已经向银行开出了担保书。