"Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body," President Obama said late Sunday evening.
direction – leadership or management
targeted – aimed at something or someone, having an objective
compound – an enclosed area where a particular group of people live or work
to carry out – to do a particular piece of work, research, operation, etc..
harmed – hurt, injured, damaged
a casualty – someone who is injured or killed in an accident or military action
a firefight – an exchange of gun fire
to take custody of something - to take possession of
I’m trying something new. I’ve taken an audio file from Voice of America Special English and turned into a video news report thanks to a new program and I have added subtitles.
African-American soldiers have fought in American wars since colonial days. 180,000 Black soldiers served in the Civil War. The Buffalo Soldiers of the late 1800s took their name from the Native Americans..