2007年VOA标准英语-Terrorist Leader Confession Raises Questions
时间:2019-02-07 作者:英语课 分类:2007年VOA标准英语(三月)
Washington
15 March 2007
According to a just-released U.S. transcript 1, accused al-Qaida operative Khalid Sheikh Mohammad has confessed to a leading role in at least 31 alleged 2 terrorist plots, including the attacks of September 11, 2001. The admissions came in the transcript of a closed-door U.S. military hearing at the U.S. detention 3 facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. But, as VOA correspondent Gary Thomas reports, Mohammad's multiple confessions 4 raise some questions.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (file photo)
Khalid Sheikh Mohammad says he was the foreign operations chief for Osama bin 5 Laden 6 and claims a key role, if not the leading one, in some 31 alleged plots around the world and spanning a decade.
But some experts believe that while Mohammad was indeed a key al-Qaida figure, they also say some of his claims are open to question and that he may be inflating 7 his importance in some areas. In 2005, the commission that investigated the September 11 attacks noted 8 Mohammad's sometimes extravagant 9 ambitions and said that he liked to cast himself as a super-terrorist.
Former FBI agent Jack 10 Cloonan, who was on the Osama bin Laden counter-terrorist team in New York, says Mohammad has what he terms an enormous ego 11. He also notes that the transcript of the March 10 military tribunal hearing has no details of any of the alleged plots.
"Well, one of the things that strikes out at me is that of the 31 operations that he has claimed credit for, claimed credit for himself, is actually the lack of specificity," he said. "Some of the ones are obviously well known, obviously the attacks on the [World] Trade Center, both in '93 and 2001. But some of the other things he's alluding 12 to lack specificity. Now there may be more information that was provided either to the CIA or in fact to the military interrogators. And I hope that information was disseminated 13."
Other counter-terrorism experts, however, are not troubled by the fact that many of the plots Mohammad alludes 14 to never actually occurred. Former CIA officer Michael Scheuer, who headed the agency's hunt for bin Laden, say al-Qaida was engaging in contingency 15 planning. He adds that while Khalid Sheikh Mohammad may have embellished 16 somewhat, even the potential planning he outlines is a chilling indicator 18 of al-Qaida's danger.
"I think you come away from KSM's [Khalid Sheikh Mohammad's] testimony 19 - even if you accept maybe a quarter of it being embroidery 20 or swagger [exaggeration] - with a very clear view of a very potent 17, very intelligent, very innovative 21 enemy," he said.
Mohammad was captured in March, 2003, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, near the capital city of Islamabad. As one of the so-called high-value terrorist detainees, he was held in a network of CIA secret prisons in various countries until his transfer to Guantanamo Bay last year. On March 10, he was given what the Pentagon calls a Combatant Status Review hearing to determine if he is to be released or detained indefinitely. The hearing was closed to the media.
Mohammad himself claims to have been tortured in his CIA interrogations, but the hearing transcript that was released edited out any further comment from him in that regard.
Tom Parker, a former British counter-terrorism officer, says Mohammad's claims of his terrorist leader status could be true. But he says what kind of treatment Khalid Sheikh Mohammad received could have affected 22 his testimony.
"We don't know what he'd been through in the last three years," he said. "But if he has been subjected to highly coercive interrogation techniques, he could be a broken man. At this point he may be entirely 23 prepared to confess to kidnapping [the late singer] Elvis [Presley]. We just don't know."
Former CIA officer Michael Scheuer says that while Mohammad could have been mistreated, he also knows that the issue of U.S. interrogation methods has been the subject of intense political debate.
"He is an informed observer of the propaganda and public diplomacy 24 aspects of the war between the United States, and al-Qaida and its allies," he said. "And he has exploited that with a combination of truthfulness 25 in terms of many of the attacks we know that he was involved with that he claimed, and in terms of a really acute eye for exacerbating 26 problems of the American government in handling people that they capture."
Analysts 27 say that because four years has elapsed since Khalid Sheikh Mohammad's capture, any further information gleaned 28 from interrogation would be outdated 29 and of little use now.
- A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
- They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。
- 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
- He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
- He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。
- It is strictly forbidden to obtain confessions and to give them credence. 严禁逼供信。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- Neither trickery nor coercion is used to secure confessions. 既不诱供也不逼供。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
- He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。
- He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
- Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。
- I felt myself inflating slowly with rage, like a tyre. 我感到自己体内的怒气正慢慢膨胀,像一只轮胎那样。 来自互联网
- Many are already overheating, with prices rising and asset bubbles inflating. 随着物价日益上涨、资产泡沫膨胀,很多新兴国家经济已经过热。 来自互联网
- The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
- Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
- They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
- He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。
- I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
- He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。
- He is absolute ego in all thing.在所有的事情上他都绝对自我。
- She has been on an ego trip since she sang on television.她上电视台唱过歌之后就一直自吹自擂。
- He didn't mention your name but I was sure he was alluding to you. 他没提你的名字,但是我确信他是暗指你的。
- But in fact I was alluding to my physical deficiencies. 可我实在是为自己的容貌寒心。
- Their findings have been widely disseminated . 他们的研究成果已经广为传播。
- Berkovitz had contracted polio after ingesting a vaccine disseminated under federal supervision. 伯考维茨在接种了在联邦监督下分发的牛痘疫苗后传染上脊髓灰质炎。
- In the vegetable kingdom Mr. Mivart only alludes to two cases. 在植物界中,密伐脱先生仅提出两点。
- Black-box testing alludes to test that are conducted at the software interface. 黑箱测试是指测试软件接口进行。
- We should be prepared for any contingency.我们应该对任何应急情况有所准备。
- A fire in our warehouse was a contingency that we had not expected.库房的一场大火是我们始料未及的。
- The door of the old church was embellished with decorations. 老教堂的门是用雕饰美化的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The stern was embellished with carvings in red and blue. 船尾饰有红色和蓝色的雕刻图案。 来自辞典例句
- The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
- We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。
- Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
- His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。
- The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
- He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。
- This exquisite embroidery won people's great admiration.这件精美的绣品,使人惊叹不已。
- This is Jane's first attempt at embroidery.这是简第一次试着绣花。
- Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
- He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。
- She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
- His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。
- The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
- His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。
- The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
- This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。
- Among her many virtues are loyalty, courage, and truthfulness. 她有许多的美德,如忠诚、勇敢和诚实。
- I fired a hundred questions concerning the truthfulness of his statement. 我对他发言的真实性提出一连串质问。
- This pedagogical understretch is exacerbating social inequalities. 这种教学张力不足加重了社会不平等。 来自互联网
- High fertilizer prices are exacerbating the problem. 高涨的肥料价格更加加剧了问题的恶化。 来自互联网
- 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。
- These figures have been gleaned from a number of studies. 这些数据是通过多次研究收集得来的。
- A valuable lesson may be gleaned from it by those who have eyes to see. 明眼人可从中记取宝贵的教训。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》