2007年VOA标准英语-Militant Cleric, 60 Others Killed at Pakistan's

By Benjamin Sand
Islamabad
10 July 2007

Pakistani security forces stormed Islamabad's Red Mosque¹ Tuesday more than a week after hundreds of militants³ barricaded⁴ themselves inside. The operation began just before dawn Tuesday after negotiations⁵ broke down. From Islamabad, VOA correspondent Benjamin Sand reports at least eight soldiers and around 60 militants have been killed, including radical⁶ cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi.

Pakistan army armored vehicle moves towards the forward positions at the Red Mosque in Islamabad, 10 July 2007

Huge explosions rocked Islamabad's Red Mosque early Tuesday morning as security forces blasted their way into the heavily armed compound.

Thousands of soldiers battled militant² forces for more than 13 hours in the heart of Pakistan's normally sedate⁷ capital. Officials say the mosque's firebrand cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi was killed along with around 60 other militants.

Hundreds of women and children remained unaccounted for following government warnings that many may have been used as human shields.

Military spokesman Major-General Waheed Arshad said the mosque's gunmen were fully⁸ prepared and mounted a strong resistance, forcing a much longer than expected operation.

"The militants are using all kinds of weapons," he said. "They have machine guns. They have rocket launchers. They have been using grenades."

Smoke rises from Lal Masjid during heavy gunbattle between Pakistan troops and militants in Islamabad, 10 July 2007

The government says at least 70 women and children have been rescued and another 70 militants taken into custody⁹.

Ambulances ferried scores of wounded to nearby hospitals throughout the day, while the terrified parents of students trapped inside waited for information about their loved ones.

The bloody¹⁰ standoff began last Tuesday after the mosque's radical students clashed with local security forces.

Lal Masjid, or the Red Mosque, has been a well-known source of Islamic militancy¹¹ and its supporters recently pushed to impose a strict Islamic law on the capital.

In a written statement released Sunday, Ghazi said he hoped his death would spark a nationwide Islamic revolution in Pakistan.

The military assault came less than an hour after government negotiators said they had failed to end the seven-day standoff. The militant leaders reportedly refused to give up a demand for complete amnesty and safe passage out of Islamabad.

Government officials say there were a number of foreign terrorists, including several with possible ties to al-Qaida, are inside the mosque.

Pervez Musharraf (file photo)

The standoff was widely regarded as a major political embarrassment¹² for Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, who is a key U.S. ally in the war against terror.

Moderates accuse President Musharraf of allowing religious extremists to gain a powerful foothold throughout Pakistan.

Those critics were largely silenced during this week's siege, but there are already fresh concerns that the capital's unrest could spark a much wider militant backlash in other parts of the country.

1 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

2 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。

3 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。

4 barricaded   

设路障于，以障碍物阻塞( barricade的过去式和过去分词 )； 设路障[防御工事]保卫或固守

参考例句：

• The police barricaded the entrance. 警方在入口处设置了路障。
• The doors had been barricaded. 门都被堵住了。

5 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

6 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。

7 sedate   

adj.沉着的，镇静的，安静的

参考例句：

• After the accident,the doctor gave her some pills to sedate her.事故发生后，医生让她服了些药片使她镇静下来。
• We spent a sedate evening at home.我们在家里过了一个恬静的夜晚。

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

9 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

10 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

11 militancy   

n.warlike behavior or tendency

参考例句：

• Full of militancy and revolutionary ardour, the people of all nationalities in the country are working hard for the realization of the four modernizations. 全国各族人民意气风发， 斗志昂扬，为实现四个现代化而奋战。
• The seniority system is another factor that leads to union militancy. 排资论辈制度也是导致工会好斗争的另一因素。

12 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

13 override   

vt.不顾，不理睬，否决；压倒，优先于

参考例句：

• The welfare of a child should always override the wishes of its parents.孩子的幸福安康应该永远比父母的愿望来得更重要。
• I'm applying in advance for the authority to override him.我提前申请当局对他进行否决。

14 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。