VOA标准英语2009年-Afghan Journalist Killed in Pakistan

Pakistani authorities and eyewitnesses¹ say that unknown gunmen have shot dead a Pakistan-based Afghan journalist and wounded his colleague in a northwestern border region. The attack comes as police in an eastern town claims to have detained six suspected Taliban extremists planning to launch major terrorist attacks on foreigners, politicians and on worship places for minority Shiite Muslims.

Local authorities say that an Afghan journalist, Janullah Hashimzada, was gunned down as he was traveling in a mini-bus through Khyber Pass, a main road-link between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Witnesses say that armed men riding a car intercepted² the bus and forced it to stop in the Pakistani border town of Jamrud. The attackers then went inside the passenger vehicle, they say, and shot the journalist dead while severely³ wounding his colleague, Ali Khan. No one has claimed responsibility for the assassination⁴.
　
A relative mourns over the coffin⁵ of Afghan Journalist Janullah Hashimzada in an ambulance in Jamrud in Khyber, 24 Aug 2009

The slain⁶ Afghan reporter Hashimzada was based in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar and was working for a private Afghan television station, Shamshad TV. He was known as a vocal⁷ critic of Taliban insurgency⁸ in Afghanistan. Relatives say he was returning to resume his duties after spending the weekend with his family in the border Afghan province of Ningarhar.

Attacks on Pakistan journalists increasing

Pakistan's Federal Union of Journalists condemned⁹ the murder of the Afghan journalist, demanding immediate¹⁰ arrest of the killers¹¹ and ensuring protection of journalists in the country. The group's Secretary General Shamsul Islam Naz says that the northwestern Pakistani province called the NWFP and its neighboring areas have become extremely dangerous for reporters.

"This is a very tragic¹² incident. For the first seven [or eight] months of this year this is the 9th journalist who has been killed in N.W.F.P [North West Frontier Province of Pakistan], and law enforcing agencies miserably¹³ failed to protect the lives of journalists. Such incidents have become order of the day in N.W.F.P," he said.

Attacks on journalists have increased in Pakistan where security forces and Taliban extremists are engaged in a bloody¹⁴ fight in the northwestern province called NWFP and in areas bordering Afghanistan.

Media watchdog groups estimate that more than 40 journalists have been killed since Pakistan joined the U.S-led coalition¹⁵ against Taliban and the al-Qaida network. Both security agencies and militants¹⁶ are blamed for the violence as part of efforts to influence the media coverage¹⁸.

Other developments

Meanwhile, police in the eastern city of Sargodha say they have arrested six suspected Taliban militants and seized suicide vests as well as bomb-making material.

District police Chief Usman Anwar tells VOA the men were planning terrorist attacks on politicians, foreigners and worship places for the country's minority Shiite community. He says the arrests were made in a raid on a local bus station where the suspects had gathered to depart for other cities.

"We checked bags of three of them so we found explosives, detonators and other such things, which were to be used in terrorism. So we got hold of all six of them and we have got the head of the group," he said.

The police officer identified the group leader as Zaid Mustafa, saying he was recruiting potential suicide bombers¹⁹ and was providing logistics, explosives and other support for terrorist attacks across the country.

The arrests came a day after police in the southern port city of Karachi seized seven members of an outlawed²⁰ Sunni militant¹⁷ group (Lashkar-e-Jhangvi) believed to have links with al-Qaida operatives based in Pakistan's volatile²¹ tribal²² areas bordering Afghanistan. Nearly three-thousand Pakistanis, including security forces, have died in suicide and other terrorist attacks since early 2008.

1 eyewitnesses   

目击者( eyewitness的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The examination of all the eyewitnesses took a week. 对所有证人的质询用了一周的时间。
• Several eyewitnesses testified that they saw the officers hit Miller in the face. 几位目击证人证明他们看见那几个警官打了米勒的脸。

2 intercepted   

拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻

参考例句：

• Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave the hotel. 他正要离开旅馆，记者们把他拦截住了。
• Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave by the rear entrance. 他想从后门溜走，记者把他截住了。

3 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

4 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

5 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

6 slain   

杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)

参考例句：

• The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。
• His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。

7 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

8 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

9 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

10 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

11 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

12 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

13 miserably   

adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地

参考例句：

• The little girl was wailing miserably. 那小女孩难过得号啕大哭。
• It was drizzling, and miserably cold and damp. 外面下着毛毛细雨，天气又冷又湿，令人难受。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 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。

15 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

16 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。

17 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。

18 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

19 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 outlawed   

宣布…为不合法（outlaw的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Most states have outlawed the use of marijuana. 大多数州都宣布使用大麻为非法行为。
• I hope the sale of tobacco will be outlawed someday. 我希望有朝一日烟草制品会禁止销售。

21 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

22 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。