Dozens dead' in Baghdad bombing 巴格达轰炸中多人死亡

'Dozens dead' in Baghdad bombing 巴格达轰炸中多人死亡。

At least 69 people have been killed by a bomb blast （炸弹爆炸）in the eastern Sadr City area of Baghdad, Iraqi officials say.

Police said the device went off in a market place in the predominantly Shia area of the Iraqi capital.

More than 130 people were also reported to have been injured in the blast, one of the worst in Iraq this year.

It comes less than a week before US soldiers pull out of all Iraqi cities, a move the US said would not be affected¹ by a recent surge in violence.

'Horrific'

An interior ministry² official told the AFP news agency the blast struck the market place at about 1930 (1630 GMT).

The official said the bomb was hidden underneath³ a motorised （机动的）cart carrying vegetables for sale.

"I heard a boom and saw a ball of fire," said Najim Ali, a 30-year-old father who was injured in the blast.

"I saw cars flying in the air because of the force of the explosion," he was quoted as saying by AFP.

Raad Latif, a local shop owner, said the scene after the blast was "horrific".

He said people ran to help the injured after hearing the explosion but were initially⁴ kept back as security forces tried to get emergency vehicles to the scene.

"After a while they came to their senses and allowed us to help as much as we could. The scene was horrific," he told Reuters.

Another witness told the Associated Press news agency he heard a sound like "unbelievable thunder" and was knocked to the ground by "a hurricane".

Market stalls were set on fire and an official told AP that people standing⁵ 600m away were hit by shrapnel.（开花弹，榴弹）

'Confident'

Under an agreement with the Iraqi authorities, most of the 133,000 US troops in Iraq are due to leave the country's cities and towns and withdraw to military bases by 30 June

Combat operations across Iraq are due to end by September 2010 and all US troops will be out of the country by the end of 2011.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the top US commander in the country, Gen Ray Odierno, had told President Barack Obama that he felt "confident in moving forward" with the withdrawal⁶.

"Gen Odierno has mentioned that we have seen violence greatly decrease even in the past many months from what it was," he said.

Mr Gibbs said Mr Obama had no plans to change the withdrawal arrangements.

The BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad says the location of the latest blast was significant, as Sadr City has been struck often and provocatively（气人的，挑拨的） in the past.

The attacks have been attributed to Sunni militants⁷' attempts to provoke sectarian（宗派的，偏狭的） tensions.

But this tactic（战略，策略）has failed since the Shia Mehdi militia⁸, which used to retaliate（报复，报仇）, was disbanded（解散） last year, says our correspondent, and the attacks now only succeed in killing⁹ civilians¹⁰.

The attacks are the latest in a violent week in Iraq.

On Monday, at least 29 people were killed in attacks in Baghdad and elsewhere.

Three people, including a four-year-old child, were killed in the Shaab district of north Baghdad, while a car bomb killed five people in the capital's central Karrada district.

In the largest attack of the year, more than 70 people died in a truck bombing in Kirkuk on Saturday.

But Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has said the violence will not delay the withdrawal which, he said, would ultimately be a triumph for the country.

He urged Iraqis: "Don't lose heart if a breach¹¹ of security occurs here or there." (本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

 

 

1 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

2 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

3 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

4 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

5 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

6 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

7 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。

8 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

9 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

10 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。

11 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。