Obama Concerned About Afghan Insider Attacks

 U.S. President Barack Obama said he is concerned about the "green on blue" attacks, the recent killings¹ of NATO troops by Afghan security forces.

At a news conference Monday, Obama said he has spoken to senior military leaders who are in Afghanistan talking to coalition² and afghan counterparts about the recent "uptick" of such incidents.

Afghan security forces have killed 10 international troops, mostly Americans, in the past two weeks. In the latest incident Sunday, a person wearing an Afghan police uniform shot and killed a coalition service member.  At least 39 international coalition members have been killed in such attacks this year.

Also Monday, top US military officials cited progress in the campaign against insurgents³ in Afghanistan.

The chairman of the U.S. Joint⁴ Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, and the commander of U.S. Central Command, General James Mattis arrived in Afghanistan for talks with NATO and Afghan officials.

NATO said the two commanders met with the head of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, General John Allen, and discussed "how to maintain momentum⁵ against the insurgents" and building Afghan capacity. The discussion focused on recent "insider" attacks.

NATO troops have been ordered to carry loaded weapons at all times, even when on their bases, as a precaution against the attacks.

The Taliban said it has infiltrated⁶ the ranks of Afghan security forces and considers the attacks a major part of its strategy against alliance forces.

General Dempsey and General Mattis are also meeting with other senior Afghan and coalition leaders on Monday.

U.S. Defense⁷ Secretary Leon Panetta discussed the issue of insider attacks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in a phone call Sunday. The Defense Department said Panetta urged Karzai to boost counterintelligence cooperation with NATO, introduce more rigorous vetting⁸ of Afghan security recruits and engage in more dialogue with village elders who can vouch⁹ for such recruits.

The Pentagon said Karzai and Panetta agreed that U.S. and Afghan officials should work more closely together to minimize the potential for future attacks.

Also Monday, New Zealand's prime minister, John Key, said his country's forces will likely complete their withdrawal¹⁰ from Afghanistan by April of next year, roughly six months earlier than originally planned.

Mr. Key said the move is not prompted by the deaths this month of five New Zealand soldiers, including three on Sunday in a roadside bombing in central Bamiyan province.

The province's governor, Habiba Sarabi, told VOA's Afghan Service Monday that Afghan forces will fill any security gaps left by the departure of international troops.

1 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

2 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

3 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

4 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

5 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

6 infiltrated   

adj.[医]浸润的v.（使）渗透，（指思想）渗入人的心中( infiltrate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The headquarters had been infiltrated by enemy spies. 总部混入了敌方特务。
• Many Chinese idioms have infiltrated into the Japanese language. 许多中国成语浸透到日语中。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

8 vetting   

n.数据检查[核对，核实]v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的现在分词 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• Scripts had to be submitted to Ministry of Information officials for vetting. 必须把脚本提交给信息部官员审查。 来自互联网
• Their purpose in clicking deeper into a site is one of vetting. 他们深入点击网站的目的是一种诊疗。 来自互联网

9 vouch   

v.担保；断定；n.被担保者

参考例句：

• They asked whether I was prepared to vouch for him.他们问我是否愿意为他作担保。
• I can vouch for the fact that he is a good worker.我保证他是好员工。

10 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。