美国前国务卿鲍威尔因新冠去世

Colin Powell, the first African-American US secretary of state, has died at 84 of COVID-19 complications, his family said Monday.

美国首位非裔国务卿科林·鲍威尔的家人10月18日在脸书上发布声明称，鲍威尔因感染新冠病毒引发的并发症于当天早晨去世，终年84岁。

Powell's family said in a statement on Facebook that Powell died Monday morning despite being fully vaccinated.

鲍威尔的家人说，鲍威尔此前已完成新冠疫苗接种。

A professional soldier, Powell became the first African-American national security advisor during the end of Ronald Reagan's presidency and the youngest and first African-American chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under former President George H. W. Bush.

作为一名职业军人，鲍威尔在里根总统任期后期成为美国首位非裔国家安全顾问，后来在老布什执政期间成为美国最年轻的参谋长联席会议主席，同时也是首个出任这一职务的非裔美国人。

He was best known and most controversial when he served as secretary of state under former President George W. Bush between January 2001 and January 2005, and pushed for the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 with the claim the Middle Eastern country possessed weapons of mass destruction, which was proven to be false.

但鲍威尔一生最著名和最具争议的事件是，2001年1月至2005年1月他担任小布什政府的国务卿期间，以伊拉克拥有大规模杀伤性武器为由，推动美国在2003年发动了入侵伊拉克的战争，然而，美国至今未能证实伊拉克确实拥有这类武器。