Three large explosions ripped through Baghdad Monday, killing at least 36 people and wounding more than 70 others. In the midst of the chaos, the Iraqi government announced the execution of "Chemical Ali" one of Saddam Hussein's most notorious lieutenants.
伊拉克首都巴格达星期一发生三起大爆炸，炸死至少36人，另有70多人受伤。在一片混乱的局势中，伊拉克政府宣布处决了萨达姆.侯赛因最臭名昭著的副手之一“化学阿里”。
The series of explosions hit the center of the capital in mid-afternoon. Iraqi officials said car bombs were detonated outside the Babylon, Ishtar Sheraton, and al-Hamra hotels. The buildings house foreign aid and news organizations and are frequented by government officials.
巴格达市中心在下午发生了一系列爆炸事件。伊拉克官员说，汽车炸弹在巴比伦、喜来登、和拉斯海马酒店外爆炸。那些酒店是外国援助机构和新闻机构的驻地，政府官员也经常光顾这些酒店。
No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
目前还没有人声称对袭击事件负责。
Lawmaker and national security advisor Moafak al Robaie said they bore the hallmarks of the al-Qaida offshoot in Iraq.
伊拉克议员和国家安全顾问鲁巴伊说，袭击者身上带有基地组织伊拉克分支的标记。
Al Robaei told al-Arabia television that the bombers targeted civilian areas to show the government is weak and incapable of protecting the public. He also conceded the attacks showed a clear defect in national security.
鲁巴伊对阿拉伯电视台说，炸弹袭击者以平民地区为目标，以显示政府软弱无能，无法保护公众安全。他也承认说，这些袭击暴露出国家安全上的明显缺陷。
The explosions were similar to other major security lapses in Baghdad in the past six months. In August, October and December, bombers managed to pass through numerous checkpoints and set off coordinated attacks that killed hundreds of people.
这些爆炸与过去六个月来巴格达发生的其它重大安全疏漏类似。去年8月、10月和12月，炸弹袭击者设法通过层层检查站发动协调一致的袭击，导致数百人丧生。
Iraqi and western security officials have warned that militants might step up their attacks ahead of parliamentary elections planned for March.
伊拉克和西方安全官员曾警告说，激进分子可能在定于3月举行的议会选举前加强袭击。
There are also tensions over efforts to ban some 500 candidates from the election, most of them Sunnis, although it was reported Monday that 50 of those placed on a list will now be allowed to take part.
此外，伊拉克禁止大约500名候选人参加选举的举措也造成紧张局势。这些候选人中大部分是逊尼派人士。不过星期一有报导说，禁选名单中有50人现在已获准参选。
In another development Monday, the government said it had put to death Ali Hassan al-Majid. Also known as "Chemical Ali," al-Majid was a military and intelligence chief under the government of his cousin Saddam Hussein and led numerous brutal campaigns against domestic opponents.
另据报导，伊拉克政府星期一说，被称为“化学阿里”的阿里.哈桑.马吉德已被处决。马吉德曾在他的表兄萨达姆.侯赛因领导的政府中担任军事和情报主管。他也曾多次主导了针对伊拉克国内反对派的残酷运动。
He earned his grim nickname for the use of poison gas during an attack against the residents of Halabja in Kurdish northern Iraq in 1988.
The Iraqi judiciary had sentenced him to death four times, the last time earlier this month. In addition to the crimes against the Kurds, he was found guilty of repression campaigns against Iraqi Shi'ites.
伊拉克司法部门已经四次判处他死刑，最近一次是在这个月初。除了对库尔德人犯下的罪行外，马吉德还因为发动针对伊拉克什叶派的镇压运动而被定罪。 |