VOA常速英语2008年-Hospital Official in Iraq Accused of Helping Te

By Deborah Block
Irbil
13 February 2008

An official at a psychiatric hospital in the Iraqi capital has been detained on suspicion of supplying information about mentally ill patients to al-Qaida in Iraq. VOA's Deborah Block has further details.

A U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, Rear Admiral Gregory Smith, says the acting¹ administrator² of the al-Rasheed psychiatric hospital in Baghdad was arrested Sunday by U.S. and Iraqi forces. He says the troops also did a thorough search of the hospital.

Smith did not identify the administrator, but the Iraq Health Ministry³ named him as Sahi Abub al-Maliki.

"Iraqi and coalition⁴ forces detained a hospital administrator in connection with the possible exploitation of mentally impaired⁵ women by al-Qaida. On February 1st, two women were used to deliver a backpack filled with explosives and a suicide vest into the crowded pet markets in Baghdad," he said.

At the two pet markets, the explosives were detonated by remote control, indicating the women may not have been willing attackers. Almost 100 people were killed in the attacks.

Smith says the hospital official is being held by coalition forces. He says the man is being questioned to determine whether he provided information about patients at al-Rasheed hospital or any other medical facility in Baghdad.

The U.S. military has expressed concern that al-Qaida in Iraq is increasingly turning to women and children as suicide bombers⁶ to get around stepped up security measures.

Also in Iraq, lawmakers passed the 2008 budget, after weeks of delays and threats to dissolve the parliament over the deadlock⁷. Iraq's parliament approved a $48 billion budget and two key bills. One set a date for provincial⁸ elections, and the other is an amnesty law that could free thousands of prisoners.

Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey met in Iraq with senior U.S. and Iraqi officials on his first trip to the country since taking office last November. He discussed cooperative efforts to promote the rule of law in Iraq.

Mukasey says the aim is to build a legal system different from that in the United States, but founded upon the same principles of due process and rule of law.

1 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

2 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

3 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。

4 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

5 impaired   

adj.受损的；出毛病的；有（身体或智力）缺陷的v.损害，削弱( impair的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Much reading has impaired his vision. 大量读书损害了他的视力。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His hearing is somewhat impaired. 他的听觉已受到一定程度的损害。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 deadlock   

n.僵局，僵持

参考例句：

• The negotiations reached a deadlock after two hours.两小时后，谈判陷入了僵局。
• The employers and strikers are at a deadlock over the wage.雇主和罢工者在工资问题上相持不下。

8 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。