VOA标准英语2009年-Suicide Bombings Kill at Least 16 in North

By Sean Maroney
Islamabad
26 September 2009

 
Damaged cars seen at site of bomb explosion in commercial district in Peshawar, Pakistan, 26 Sep 2009
Two powerful suicide attacks struck different areas of northwestern Pakistan Saturday, apparently¹ targeting the country's security forces.  In the first attack, the bomber² killed at least six people and wounded more than 60 others outside a police station in Bannu. Shortly thereafter in Peshawar's commercial district, another attacker exploded outside a bank affiliated³ with the Pakistani army, killing⁴ 10 people and wounding more than 70 others. 

Authorities in Bannu say the suicide bomber exploded a small truck full of explosives, destroying the police station and surrounding buildings.

District Police Officer Iqbal Marwat says nearby civilians⁵ were wounded, but most of the casualties were police officers.

He says the attacker tried to ram⁶ the vehicle through the main gate, but then detonated the bomb after police opened fire.

Local media are quoting a representative for the outlawed⁷ Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan as taking responsibility for the bombing.

This is the first time the alliance of more than a dozen militant⁸ groups with links to al-Qaida has claimed responsibility since its former leader Baitullah Mehsud was reportedly killed in a U.S. missile strike. Analysts⁹ had suggested the group was in disarray¹⁰ following Mehsud's death.

 
People look out through broken windows of a building at the site of a bomb explosion in a commercial district in Peshawar, 26 Sep 2009
 
Hours later in Peshawar, officials say an attacker in a parked car threw a grenade at a crowd of people outside the Askari Bank before exploding in the car.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Senior police official Ghafoor Afridi tells VOA that the bomber bypassed multiple security checkpoints.

"There was checking all around. But somehow, it is not possible to check all vehicles, so they might have slipped a vehicle inside and exploded it," said Afridi.

Saturday's attacks come as the Pakistani military works to expand its offensive against the Taliban.

1 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

2 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。

3 affiliated   

adj. 附属的, 有关连的

参考例句：

• The hospital is affiliated with the local university. 这家医院附属于当地大学。
• All affiliated members can vote. 所有隶属成员都有投票权。

4 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。

5 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。

6 ram   

(random access memory)随机存取存储器

参考例句：

• 512k RAM is recommended and 640k RAM is preferred.推荐配置为512K内存，640K内存则更佳。

7 outlawed   

宣布…为不合法（outlaw的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Most states have outlawed the use of marijuana. 大多数州都宣布使用大麻为非法行为。
• I hope the sale of tobacco will be outlawed someday. 我希望有朝一日烟草制品会禁止销售。

8 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。

9 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

10 disarray   

n.混乱，紊乱，凌乱

参考例句：

• His personal life fell into disarray when his wife left him.妻子离去后，他的个人生活一片混乱。
• Our plans were thrown into disarray by the rail strike.铁路罢工打乱了我们的计划。