VOA标准英语2009年-Suicide Bomber Kills 35 People Near Pakist

By Sean Maroney
Islamabad
02 November 2009

Police in Pakistan say a suicide bomber¹ killed at least 35 people Monday near the country's army headquarters in Rawalpindi, where gunmen kept up a nearly 24-hour hostage-taking assault last month.

 
Pakistani policemen secure the site after a sucide bomb blast in Rawalpindi, 02 Nov 2009
Monday's blast occurred in a parking lot outside a government bank, just a few kilometers from the capital, Islamabad.

On the first business day of the month, many people - especially government employees - line up at the bank to collect their monthly salaries or pensions.

Mohammad Saleem says he was going to the bank to get his salary when a blast occurred near the gate. He said he ran out from the building and saw many dead bodies.

Saleem said his child - who was sitting in his car parked in the bank's lot - is still missing.

Last month, the number of attacks across the country increased, starting with a suicide bombing in a United Nations office in Islamabad and ending with a massive bombing in a Peshawar market that was the single deadliest act of terrorism since 2007.

Also, militants² launched an assault on the army headquarters in Rawalpindi, which killed the nine attackers, more than a dozen soldiers and several civilians³.

The Pakistani government has offered up to $5 million for the capture, or any information leading to the capture, of Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud and more than a dozen other Taliban leaders.

The military has pushed deep inside the South Waziristan tribal⁴ region, bordering Afghanistan. The area is a stronghold for Mehsud's fighters, and army officials have pledged to completely wipe out the militants in the region.

1 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。

2 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

3 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。

4 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。