2006年VOA标准英语-US Military Releases Partial Iraqi Civilia

By Ben Gilbert
Baghdad
03 February 2006

A wounded man is brought to a hospital after an early morning bomb attack, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq   
  
At least 16 people were killed in two car bomb attacks in Baghdad Thursday, as Iraqi civilians² continued to bear the brunt of the daily violence in Iraq. According to the U.S. Military, more than 3,100 Iraqi civilians have been killed or wounded over the past 14 weeks.

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Since June 2004 in Iraq, there have been an average of about 500 attacks per week on U.S. soldiers, Iraqi security forces, and Iraqi civilians.

Major General Rick Lynch says it is the civilians who are bearing the brunt.

"The predominant number of casualties are in the Iraqi civilian¹ population," he explained. "If you work the numbers, you realize that 50 percent of casualties in that reporting period, are Iraqi civilians, innocent Iraqi civilians, men women and children."

The numbers General Lynch referred to are from what the military calls a casualty trend report, released to the news media Thursday. The report shows that, in the past 14 months, more than 5,800 people have been killed or wounded in Iraq, including U.S. military personnel and Iraqi security forces. More than half were Iraqi civilians.

The numbers did not include a breakdown³ of killed and wounded.

General Lynch on Thursday said that, since January 2004, 11,000 people were killed or wounded on 107 particularly deadly days. Late last year, addressing the World Affairs Council in Philidelphia, President Bush estimated that some 30,000 Iraqis have died as a result of the initial 2003 incursion and the continuing violence.

1 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

2 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。

3 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。