科恩说，美国军舰爆炸的原因尚不确定

   

    首席说海军驱逐舰显然遭到恐怖分子的袭击,杰奎琳·s·华盛顿与文件安全事务记者国防部长威廉·科恩10月12日在五角大楼对记者说,爆炸的原因,造成五名美国海军水手猛地打开时船体钢的美国军舰在也门亚丁港的燃料补给还不确定。但他的海军作战部长、海军上将弗恩·克拉克(Vern Clark)表示，科尔号“显然是在一艘小船上遭到了恐怖分子的袭击”，这艘小船在加油行动之前帮助停泊驱逐舰。他说，“没有理由认为这是一场毫无意义的恐怖主义行动”，该行动导致36名船员严重受伤，另有12人失踪。科恩说，如果发现恐怖分子制造了这次爆炸，他们将被追踪，并对“这种恶毒和懦弱的行为”负责。他说，任何人都不应该认为他们可以“不受惩罚地”攻击美国。国务卿说，美国将继续在中东和世界其他地方谋求国家利益。“没有人应该怀疑我们的决心，”他补充说。当被记者问及也门事件是否与中东动荡有关时，科恩表示，没有任何信息表明两者之间有关联。他还被问及有关伊拉克军队在该国西部地区新调动的报ReportsReports告，他指出，这通常是伊拉克军事训练周期的时间。 "We are watching it very closely because of the ambiguity of the situation to make sure that Saddam (Hussein) is not using any training cycle to take advantage of any developments in the Middle East or elsewhere," the secretary added. Cohen said a team of bomb experts will investigate the nature of the explosive materials used against the Cole to make a determination about the cause of the blast. "If -- as it appears -- this was the act of terrorists, then we will certainly do everything in our power to track them down and hold them accountable," he said. The secretary said the alert status for all U.S. military forces worldwide has been increased following the October 12 incident in Yemen. In addition, he said U.S. security and medical teams have been sent to Aden. Cohen and Clark noted that British and French ships and a French aircraft also have been dispatched to join U.S. air and naval forces to provide additional assistance, including medical evacuation Clark, who briefed with Cohen, showed photographs of the gaping hole in the ship's hull at the waterline. The admiral said the damage from "a significant explosion" was concentrated in one of the main engine rooms and in an auxiliary engineering space of the ship, which was manned by a crew of around 350. At last report, he said, the Arleigh Burke destroyer was listing at only four degrees with flooding reportedly under control. Several reporters questioned the decision to fuel the ship in Yemen, but Clark said that refueling of U.S. ships in Aden began last year and that there had been three refueling operations since last May. He noted that the United States has been working for some time to improve its relations with Yemen. Clark also said it would not be realistic to send a designated "oiler" with a destroyer to refuel it en route to Bahrain. He reminded reporters that 101 U.S. Navy ships are deployed around the world and said insufficient resources are available to provide refueling vessels for all of them. The admiral relayed an eye-witness account of two men aboard a small boat standing at attention facing the USS Cole just before the blast. That ship had been assisting in the mooring operation and was not considered to be a threat. (The Washington File is distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)