2007年VOA标准英语-Insurgent Attacks on Afghan Civilians Rise Shar

By George Dwyer
Washington
09 May 2007
 

A U.S. military commander has apologized for the killings² of Afghan civilians⁴ by U.S. Marines in early March.  Colonel John Nicholson told reporters in Afghanistan that he met Tuesday (May 8th) with the families of 19 people who were killed and 50 who were wounded in the violence.  A U.S. investigation⁵ found the Marines fired indiscriminately in the incident, killing¹ and wounding Afghan civilians, after a suicide bomber⁶ attacked the Marines' convoy⁷ near Jalalabad.

Meanwhile, a report issued last month by the independent group Human Rights Watch finds that civilian³ deaths from insurgent⁸ attacks in Afghanistan have increased dramatically over the past 15 months. The report finds many of those deaths have resulted from the refusal of anti-government forces to respect internationally agreed upon laws of war. For producer George Dwyer, VOA's Jim Bertel has more on the report's findings.

Report cover of The Human Cost, by Human Rights Watch

Titled "The Human Cost: The Consequences of Insurgent Attacks in Afghanistan," the new report documents how anti-government forces in Afghanistan have dramatically stepped up suicide bombings and other attacks against civilians since early 2006. Human Rights Watch Asia Director Sam Zarifi helped prepare the report.

"We've seen six times as many suicide bombings in 2006 than 2005 and this is a tactic⁹ that had been previously¹⁰ unseen in Afghanistan. There is a new, more radical¹¹ culture among the Taliban and among Hezb-e Islami that increasingly doesn't take into account the life of Afghan civilians," said Zarifi.

Based on interviews with surviving victims and the families of attack victims, and a survey of records, the report documents how insurgent forces have repeatedly singled out non-combatants, or posed as civilians to launch attacks on International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Afghan forces. Such actions, says the report, violate established international protocols¹² on the conduct of war.

"This is a major violation¹³ of the laws of war,” Zarifi explained, “because the whole point of the laws of war is to distinguish between civilians and combatants, because when reprisals¹⁴ come NATO or Government forces cannot distinguish between civilians and the Taleban or Hezb-e Islami, and as a result that places civilians in greater jeopardy¹⁵."

Zarifi says Human Rights Watch will not hesitate to call ISAF and Afghan forces to account when their actions threaten civilian lives. But, he says, his group has found no evidence that either of those forces has ever intentionally¹⁶ targeted civilians.

"We have criticized international and Afghan forces where it is appropriate but it is the Taliban that are responsible for the vast majority of civilian deaths."

Those targeting civilians, says Zarifi, do not intend to win sympathy for their cause. Their aim is to terrorize the entire civilian population of Afghanistan in the hope it will lose faith in the government's ability to protect it.

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 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

3 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。

4 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。

5 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

6 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。

7 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

8 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。

9 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

10 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

11 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

12 protocols   

n.礼仪( protocol的名词复数 )；（外交条约的）草案；（数据传递的）协议；科学实验报告（或计划）

参考例句：

• There are also protocols on the testing of nuclear weapons. 也有关于核武器试验的协议。 来自辞典例句
• Hardware components and software design of network transport protocols are separately introduced. 介绍系统硬件组成及网络传输协议的软件设计。 来自互联网

13 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

14 reprisals   

n.报复（行为）( reprisal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They did not want to give evidence for fear of reprisals. 他们因为害怕报复而不想作证。
• They took bloody reprisals against the leaders. 他们对领导进行了血腥的报复。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 jeopardy   

n.危险；危难

参考例句：

• His foolish behaviour may put his whole future in jeopardy.他愚蠢的行为可能毁了他一生的前程。
• It is precisely at this juncture that the boss finds himself in double jeopardy.恰恰在这个关键时刻，上司发现自己处于进退两难的境地。

16 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。