VOA标准英语2008年-Australian Soldiers Accused of Mistreating Tali

Muslim groups are accusing Australian soldiers in Afghanistan of cultural insensitivity and violating rules on treating prisoners. The Australian defense¹ minister and soldiers' groups say the treatment was lawful² and not inhumane. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.

The Australian military has been accused of mistreating Taliban captives in Afghanistan by detaining them in dog pens.

In Islamic tradition, dogs are considered to be impure³.

Ikebal Patel, the president of the Australian Federation⁴ of Islamic Councils, says the Australian forces behaved irresponsibly.

"I'm actually quite shocked," he said. "To be honest, I'm appalled⁵ that now the Australian soldiers have been in any way implicated⁶ with such disgusting treatment of human beings."

Australian commandos captured four suspected insurgents⁷ in Afghanistan in late April and held them for 24 hours in a compound occasionally used to house dogs.

Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon says that Taliban prisoners have been well treated.

"We will always endeavor to comply with all aspects of international law," he said. "You know we are at war in Afghanistan with people who would employ any tactic⁸ including the use of children as shields and as a means of propaganda and it's a tough battle. But we always endeavor to comply on all occasions with international law and I'm confident that our people have done so."

In Canberra, defense officials report that nine Australian Special Forces troops were wounded in a battle with insurgents in Uruzgan province, a former Taliban stronghold. At least one trooper has suffered life-threatening injuries.

Australia has about 1,000 soldiers in Afghanistan. Six Australians have been killed there.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says the multinational⁹ mission in Afghanistan will ensure that the "bastion of terror" under the Taliban's rule never returns.

The hard-line Islamic Taliban government was ousted¹⁰ in a U.S.-led invasion in late 2001. Since then, its supporters, including members of the al Qaida terrorist network have repeatedly attacked civilians¹¹, Afghan government officials and the international forces trying to provide security to the country.

　

1 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。

2 lawful   

adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的

参考例句：

• It is not lawful to park in front of a hydrant.在消火栓前停车是不合法的。
• We don't recognised him to be the lawful heir.我们不承认他为合法继承人。

3 impure   

adj.不纯净的，不洁的；不道德的，下流的

参考例句：

• The air of a big city is often impure.大城市的空气往往是污浊的。
• Impure drinking water is a cause of disease.不洁的饮用水是引发疾病的一个原因。

4 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

5 appalled   

v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• They were appalled by the reports of the nuclear war. 他们被核战争的报道吓坏了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 implicated   

adj.密切关联的；牵涉其中的

参考例句：

• These groups are very strongly implicated in the violence. 这些组织与这起暴力事件有着极大的关联。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Having the stolen goods in his possession implicated him in the robbery. 因藏有赃物使他涉有偷盗的嫌疑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 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

8 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。

9 multinational   

adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司

参考例句：

• The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。
• He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

10 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

11 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。