VOA标准英语2009年-Two Suicide Bombers Strike AU Peacekeeper

By Alan Boswell
Nairobi
17 September 2009

 
A Somali woman is rushed into a local hospital after several mortar¹ rounds killed several people in Mogadishu, 17 Sep 2009
Two suicide bombings have rocked the headquarters of the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia, killing² the second-in-command and injuring the head general. The UN says at least 30 personnel were injured and being evalcuated for treatment. An Islamist militant³ group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Two vehicles entered and then exploded in the African Union peacekeeping force compound, sending a heavy trail of black smoke into the skyline of the capital city.

Among the dead is the top Burundian military officer in Somalia and deputy commander of the peacekeeping force, General Juvenal Niyoyunguruza. The head military official, Ugandan General Nathan Mugisha, was injured in the attack.

The peacekeeping force is composed of about 5,000 Ugandan and Burundian troops. At least nine peacekeepers were killed, and some reports have indicated that Somalis may be among the dead as well.

An eyewitness⁴ at the Mogadishu airport, which is situated⁵ next to the AMISOM base, says the two cars entered the compound and then exploded near the petrol station located in the base. The two cars reportedly carried the United Nations insignia on their sides.

The eyewitness says the two vehicles first attempted to enter through the airport, but were refused access by security guards. He said the cars then drove over to the AMISOM entry way.

A security officer has reported that vehicles were allowed inside because the guard at the AMISOM gate assumed they were with the United Nations.

Heavy mortar exchanges have since erupted in the Bakara market area of Mogadishu, killing a number of civilians⁶ and wounding many more.

A spokesman for the al Shabab terrorist group claimed the suicide attack was in retaliation⁷ for the killing of a wanted senior al-Qaida operative in the region. 

Kenyan Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, who was hiding with the Islamic militant group in southern Somalia, was killed Monday in a U.S.-led military operation.

Suicide bombings are historically an alien practice in Somali culture, but al-Shabab has begun to seriously integrate the tactic⁸ as it increasingly seeks to link its campaign with other radical⁹ Islamic movements around the world.

The al-Qaida linked Kenyan killed Monday was wanted by the United States for his alleged¹⁰ role in the bombing of an Israeli-owned hotel in a popular tourist destination of the coast of Mombasa. He is also believed to have been involved in a botched attempt to shoot down an Israeli charter jet leaving the Mombasa airport the same day. 

Meanwhile, the terrorist group released a set of demands for the release of a French hostage who was acting¹¹ as a security advisor¹² to the Mogadishu government. The terms include demands that all AMISOM forces be pulled out of Somalia.

1 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。

2 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。

3 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

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。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

4 eyewitness   

n.目击者，见证人

参考例句：

• The police questioned several eyewitness to the murder.警察询问了谋杀案的几位目击者。
• He was the only eyewitness of the robbery.他是那起抢劫案的唯一目击者。

5 situated   

adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的

参考例句：

• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
• She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。

6 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。

7 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 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。

10 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

11 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。

12 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。