2006年VOA标准英语-Iraqi, US Officials Say Al-Zarqawi Killed

By Challiss McDonough
Cairo
08 June 2006

 
Jordanian-born terrorist mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is seen in these undated photos (File photo) 
  
Terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is dead. Iraqi and U.S. officials say al-Qaida's leader in Iraq was killed in an airstrike on a safehouse near Baquba.

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Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki made the announcement.

Iraqi reporters erupted into cheers as he said, "Today, al-Zarqawi has been eliminated."

Mr. Maliki said intelligence information led U.S. and Iraqi forces to a safe house near Baquba, 65 kilometers north of Baghdad, where Zarqawi was meeting with colleagues on Wednesday evening. He said a U.S. airstrike on the building was followed by a joint¹ raid. Television footage taken at the scene Thursday showed the building flattened² to rubble³.

"This is a message to all those who embrace violence, killing⁴ and destruction, to stop before it is too late," said Mr. Maliki.

Top U.S. commander in Iraq Gen. George Casey, left, and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki speak to the media, Thursday  
  
The top U.S. military commander in Iraq, General George Casey, said Zarqawi and seven of his associates were killed in the airstrike on the isolated⁵ building. He said Zarqawi's body has been positively⁶ identified, using fingerprints⁷ and what he called "facial recognition."

General Casey called Zarqawi's death a "significant blow to al-Qaida," but cautioned that it would not end the violence.

"Although the designated leader of al-Qaida in Iraq is now dead, the terrorist organization still poses a threat, as its member will try to terrorize the Iraqi people and destabilize their government, as it moves toward stability and prosperity," he said.

Al-Qaida in Iraq issued a statement on the Internet confirming Zarqawi's death, and vowing⁸ to fight on.

The Jordanian-born militant⁹ had become Iraq's most wanted fugitive¹⁰, with a $25 million bounty¹¹ on his head. U.S. and Iraqi officials have blamed him for a campaign of suicide bombings that have killed hundreds of people. He is believed to have personally beheaded two American hostages.

He also claimed credit for the triple hotel bombings in Amman, Jordan, last year, and for a series of other attacks in his home country.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is not his real name. He adopted it as a nom de guerre in honor of the Jordanian town where he grew up. He has been a shadowy figure, rarely seen in photographs until recently. Some in the Arab world doubted that he really existed.

His brutal¹² tactics and targeting of Iraqi civilians¹³ were believed to have alienated¹⁴ some other members of his group. There were reports recently that he was being sidelined, and Iraqis were taking over the political leadership of al-Qaida in Iraq.

Zarqawi then began making more public statements, and releasing videotapes that reinforced his claims to leadership. His last videotape appeared about two weeks ago, and some reports indicate that details from that tape helped identify his whereabouts.

Despite all the excitement over the death of Zarqawi, the questions that Iraqi reporters posed to Prime Minister Maliki quickly turned to the key vacancies¹⁵ in the Iraqi Cabinet.

Not long after the announcement, Mr. Maliki proposed to parliament his nominees¹⁶ for the ministers of interior and defense¹⁷. Lawmakers quickly approved his choices.

The new interior minister is Jawad al-Bolani, a Shi'ite. The new defense minister is a Sunni Arab general, Abdel Qader Jassim. Another Shi'ite, Sherwan al-Waili, will be head of national security.

The security posts had been vacant during a three-week dispute among Mr. Maliki's coalition partners

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 flattened   

[医]（水）平扁的，弄平的

参考例句：

• She flattened her nose and lips against the window. 她把鼻子和嘴唇紧贴着窗户。
• I flattened myself against the wall to let them pass. 我身体紧靠着墙让他们通过。

3 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

4 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。

5 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

6 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。

7 fingerprints   

n.指纹( fingerprint的名词复数 )v.指纹( fingerprint的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Everyone's fingerprints are unique. 每个人的指纹都是独一无二的。
• They wore gloves so as not to leave any fingerprints behind (them). 他们戴着手套，以免留下指纹。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 vowing   

起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild its collapsed bridge. 布什总统承诺将帮助明尼阿波利斯重建坍塌的大桥。
• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild this collapse bridge. 布什总统发誓要帮助明尼阿波利斯重建起这座坍塌的桥梁。

9 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。

10 fugitive   

adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者

参考例句：

• The police were able to deduce where the fugitive was hiding.警方成功地推断出那逃亡者躲藏的地方。
• The fugitive is believed to be headed for the border.逃犯被认为在向国境线逃窜。

11 bounty   

n.慷慨的赠予物，奖金；慷慨，大方；施与

参考例句：

• He is famous for his bounty to the poor.他因对穷人慷慨相助而出名。
• We received a bounty from the government.我们收到政府给予的一笔补助金。

12 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

13 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。

14 alienated   

adj.感到孤独的，不合群的v.使疏远( alienate的过去式和过去分词 )；使不友好；转让；让渡（财产等）

参考例句：

• His comments have alienated a lot of young voters. 他的言论使许多年轻选民离他而去。
• The Prime Minister's policy alienated many of her followers. 首相的政策使很多拥护她的人疏远了她。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 vacancies   

n.空房间( vacancy的名词复数 )；空虚；空白；空缺

参考例句：

• job vacancies 职位空缺
• The sign outside the motel said \"No Vacancies\". 汽车旅馆外的招牌显示“客满”。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网

17 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。