VOA常速英语2008年-Iraqis Protest Lack of Security in Basra

By Daniel Schearf
Irbil
08 March 2008

Thousands of people have protested in the streets of Basra, Iraq's second largest city, over lack of security.  Meanwhile, a mass grave has been found northeast of Baghdad containing about 100 decomposed¹ bodies.  Daniel Schearf reports from the northern Iraqi city of Irbil.

People in Basra took to the streets Saturday, marching near police headquarters to protest poor security in the southern Iraqi city.

Residents complain that murder, kidnapping, and other crimes have increased since December when the British turned security over to Iraqi forces.

Rival groups have been fighting for influence in the predominantly Shi'ite city and were among those protesting.

Samir al Jazari is a member of the Badr Brigade, the military wing of a large Shi'ite party, the Supreme² Islamic Iraqi Council.

Jazari says the group holds the central government in particular, and the local government, including the security leaders in Basra, responsible for killings³ and looting in the city.  He says the local police and security chiefs should do their jobs instead of being onlookers⁴.

Also Saturday, Iraqi security forces found about 100 decomposed bodies in a mass grave near Khalis, a city in Diyala province northeast of Baghdad.  It was the largest mass grave discovered in months.

It was not immediately known who was responsible for the killings or when they occurred.  

Before the 2003 U.S.-led overthrow⁵ of Saddam Hussein, his government executed thousands of opponents, many of them Shi'ites and Kurds, and buried them in mass graves.

Human rights groups believe there are hundreds of mass graves in Iraq leftover⁶ from that time that have yet to be discovered. 

But, mass graves have become common in the post-Saddam era as well, as Shi'ite and Sunni militias⁷ battled for power.

1 decomposed   

已分解的，已腐烂的

参考例句：

• A liquid is decomposed when an electric current passes through it. 当电流通过时，液体就分解。
• Water can be resolved [decomposed] into hydrogen and oxygen. 水可分解为氢和氧。

2 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

3 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

4 onlookers   

n.旁观者，观看者( onlooker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A crowd of onlookers gathered at the scene of the crash. 在撞车地点聚集了一大群围观者。
• The onlookers stood at a respectful distance. 旁观者站在一定的距离之外，以示尊敬。

5 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

6 leftover   

n.剩货，残留物，剩饭；adj.残余的

参考例句：

• These narrow roads are a leftover from the days of horse-drawn carriages.这些小道是从马车时代沿用下来的。
• Wonder if that bakery lets us take leftover home.不知道那家糕饼店会不会让我们把卖剩的带回家。

7 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