VOA标准英语2008年-Suicide Attack in Algeria Kills Dozens

Algeria's Interior Ministry¹ says a suicide car bombing in front of a police school near Algiers has killed more than 40 people and injured dozens more. Ricci Shryock has more from our West Africa regional bureau in Dakar.
　
Gendarmes² stand at the site of a suicide bomb attack in Issers, 60 kms east of Algiers, 19 Aug 2008

Young Algerians were waiting in line to register at the local police academy when a suicide car bomb exploded Tuesday morning.

According to witnesses, the front of the academy's building was blown away, surrounding trees were torn apart and windows were shattered in nearby stores.

The attack occurred in the Les Issers district of Boumerds, more than 50 kilometers east of the country's capital.

This is the third suicide bombing attack this month in Algeria.

Although no group has yet claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack, London-based David Hartwell, the North Africa editor for Jane's Country Risk, says attacks by the al-Qaida north African branch are on the rise.

"That group has become much more active in the last two years," he said. "The number of attacks have increased, although this is from quite a low base. The attacks have become much more spectacular. The attacks have become much more targeted against institutions of the Algerian state."

Hartwell says the roots of al-Qaida in Algeria stem from the country's recent civil war between the military and Islamic radicals⁴. He says Algeria's type of terrorism is a matter of radical³ Sunnis trying to overthrow⁵ a moderate Islamic state, and not attacks against foreign interests.

"I think primarily the attacks should be seen through the lens of the civil war experience of the attack on the Algerian state," he added. "Firstly, if the terrorists really wanted to attack the west, then the way that they would do that is by attacking the oil and gas infrastructure⁶."

Many of the attacks in the past two years have occurred at government buildings, such as last year's al-Qaida-linked suicide bomb attack outside a coast guard barracks that killed 37 people, according to news reports.

Hartwell adds regional influences give the terrorists within Algeria support.

"What you have is a situation where you have an already established terrorist network with, with tentacles⁷ already within society, already within Algeria, which has been able to replenish⁸ itself through smuggling⁹ and trafficking and organized crime networks through the Sahara," he said.

The Algerian civil war, between Islamist rebel groups and the Algerian government began in 1991 and officially ended in 2002. After the war, parts of one of the rebel groups, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, aligned¹⁰ itself with al-Qaida.

 

1 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。

2 gendarmes   

n.宪兵，警官( gendarme的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Of course, the line of prisoners was guarded at all times by armed gendarmes. 当然，这一切都是在荷枪实弹的卫兵监视下进行的。 来自百科语句
• The three men were gendarmes;the other was Jean Valjean. 那三个人是警察，另一个就是冉阿让。 来自互联网

3 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。

4 radicals   

n.激进分子( radical的名词复数 )；根基；基本原理；[数学]根数

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。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The worry is that the radicals will grow more intransigent. 现在人们担忧激进分子会变得更加不妥协。 来自辞典例句

5 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

6 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

7 tentacles   

n.触手( tentacle的名词复数 )；触角；触须；触毛

参考例句：

• Tentacles of fear closed around her body. 恐惧的阴影笼罩着她。
• Many molluscs have tentacles. 很多软体动物有触角。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 replenish   

vt.补充；(把…)装满；(再)填满

参考例句：

• I always replenish my food supply before it is depleted.我总是在我的食物吃完之前加以补充。
• We have to import an extra 4 million tons of wheat to replenish our reserves.我们不得不额外进口四百万吨小麦以补充我们的储备。

9 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

10 aligned   

adj.对齐的，均衡的

参考例句：

• Make sure the shelf is aligned with the top of the cupboard.务必使搁架与橱柜顶端对齐。