2007年VOA标准英语-Iraq: Car Bomb Kills Dozens; Insurgents Attack

By Margaret Besheer
Irbil
14 April 2007

Iraqi police say a car bomb has exploded in a crowded bus station in the southern Shi'ite city of Karbala, killing¹ at least 40 people and injuring more than 100 others.  In Baghdad, insurgents³ have attacked another of the city's bridges, killing at least 10 people. From northern Iraq, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more on the day's developments.

Emergency services flush a street after a car bomb blast in Karbala, Iraq 14 Apr 2007

The blast in Karbala happened a little after 9 o'clock in the morning, at a bus station just 200 meters from the Imam Hussein shrine⁴ where the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad is believed to be buried. Karbala is one of Shiite Islam's most important sites.

The bus station is surrounded by shops, and the area was busy with morning shoppers. Police say many women and children are among the dead and injured.

This witness says he saw the explosion as he was on his way to the Imam Hussein shrine this morning.  He says many people were thrown into the air and onto the street.

This vendor⁵ in the market says he came here to sell vegetables. He says he was shocked when the blast happened, and he saw many people burning. 

Last February, an insurgent² attack on a Shiite shrine in Samarra, north of the capital, pushed the country into the current phase of sectarian violence that the two-month old security plan is trying to curb⁶. 

Karbala Governor Akeel al-Ghazali says recent intelligence indicates that the gates leading into the city could be attacked. He says he has asked the interior ministry⁷ to send more security forces to the city, but they have not arrived yet.

He adds that that the city has millions of visitors, making it impossible to check everyone. He says he lacks well-trained security forces and sophisticated bomb detection equipment.

Governor Ghazali says some Iranian pilgrims are among the victims of the attack at the bus station.  

Meanwhile, in central Baghdad's Karradah district, a suicide bomber⁸ detonated his explosives on a bridge over the Tigris River. It is the second such attack in three days.

The extent of the damage to the Jadiryah bridge was not immediately known, but police say several people on the bridge were killed in the blast.

On Thursday, a suicide truck bomber targeted the famous Sarafiya Bridge, causing heavy damage and killing eight people. The attack came hours before a suicide bomber detonated a bomb where Iraq's parliament meets in the heavily guarded Green Zone. One legislator was killed.

The latest violence deals a blow to an Iraqi and U.S. security crackdown in Baghdad and some of its surrounding provinces. Sectarian executions and kidnappings have gone down since the operation began, but high-profile bombings continue to be a problem.

1 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。

2 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

3 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

4 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

5 vendor   

n.卖主；小贩

参考例句：

• She looked at the vendor who cheated her the other day with distaste.她厌恶地望着那个前几天曾经欺骗过她的小贩。
• He must inform the vendor immediately.他必须立即通知卖方。

6 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

7 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。

8 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。