美国支持伊夺回安巴尔

 　　PENTAGON—Iraqi government-allied forces clashed with Islamic State militants¹ on the edges of Ramadi after Baghdad launched an offensive Tuesday to retake Anbar province and its capital.

　　The U.S. military endorsed² Iraq’s decision, announced earlier Tuesday. Ramadi, a predominantly Sunni city, fell to the Islamic extremist group May 17 after Iraq’s military fled.

　　Iraqi sources say the offensive is backed by Shi'ite militias³ as well as Sunni pro-government fighters.

　　The U.S. military welcomed the Sunnis’ inclusion, said Colonel Steve Warren, Pentagon spokesman.

　　US Supports Offensive to Retake Anbar

　　"We've long said that the key to victory, the key to expelling ISIL from Iraq, is a unified⁴ Iraq … that separates itself from sectarian divides, coalesces⁶ around this common threat," Warren said at a briefing Tuesday.

　　The regular Iraqi military's failure to hold Ramadi has forced the government to send Iran-backed Shi'ite paramilitaries to help retake the city. Washington has worried this could enrage⁷ residents in the overwhelmingly Sunni province and push them into the arms of the Islamic State group.

　　But on Tuesday, Shi’ite militiamen, supported by a smaller cadre of government troops, had advanced to within a few kilometers of a university of Ramadi’s southwestern edge – part of the "shaping operations" of a proper offensive, Warren said.

　　"Shaping operations in this case are operations in order to secure lines of communication, secure key road junctures⁸ and intersections⁹, secure certain terrain¹⁰ ... prior to a full-on offensive," the Pentagon spokesman said.

　　Later Tuesday, Anbar province officials reported fighting and airstrikes west and south of Ramadi, according to the Associated Press. Iraqi media reported shelling and minor¹¹ clashes between government-allied forces and Islamic State militants.

　　The fight against the Islamic State continued on multiple fronts. The Pentagon reported that, over a 24-hour period ending Tuesday, a U.S.-led coalition¹² had coordinated¹⁴ 19 airstrikes against IS targets in Iraq and Syria. Twelve were near the Iraqi cities of Beiji, Fallujah, Hit, Mosul, Sinjar and Tal Afar, while seven were focused near Al Hasakah, Syria.

　　Hours after Baghdad announced its campaign, President Barack Obama said the United States and its NATO allies need to consider how they are deploying¹⁵ military assets against Islamist extremists in Iraq.

　　Obama, speaking at the end of a meeting with visiting NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, said the challenge posed by the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, and the conflict in Libya, has forced the alliance to look south as well as east in its mission.

　　"NATO is necessarily recognizing a whole range of global challenges, particularly on  what we call the Southern Front ... making sure that we continue to coordinate¹³ effectively in the fight against ISIL," Obama said, using an acronym¹⁶ for the Islamist group. "It also means we have to think about whether we are deploying and arranging our assets effectively to meet that challenge."

　　On Sunday, Pentagon chief Ashton Carter had criticized Iraqi forces for pulling out of Ramadi without much fight.

　　Warren elaborated on those remarks Tuesday, noting that the Iraqi forces "vastly outnumbered their enemy yet they chose to withdraw."

　　Problems underlying¹⁷ Ramadi

　　Warren cited a host of problems that preceded the Iraqi pullout from Ramadi. "Their morale¹⁸ had slipped, their leadership was not up to par⁵. They believed that they were not receiving the support that they thought they needed," he said.

　　Officials attribute Ramadi’s fall to at least two other factors: a breakdown¹⁹ in communication among the Iraqis concerning airstrike capabilities²⁰, plus massive bombings by the Islamic State that took out entire city blocks.

　　The Pentagon assured VOA that it is working with the Iraqi government to improve command-and-control communications. It also said it would provide about anti-tank rockets to Iraq "within the next week."

　　Warren said it was reasonable to start the Anbar offensive even before delivery of the anti-armor weapons, also called AT-4s. “Every day the enemy has in Ramadi is another day for the enemy to harden and to develop [its] defenses," he explained.

　　The Pentagon spokesman also said U.S. forces have trained 7,000 Iraqis to help with anti-Islamic State offensives across Iraq. But he warned these forces are not going to immediately turn the tide. The fight to push the militants out of Iraq is expected to take years.

　　Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told the BBC that Ramadi would be retaken in days, and that he had confidence in the ability of Iraqi forces.

　　Sectarian and political divisions, however, have posed ongoing²¹ problems.

　　According to Iraqi reports, some of the Shi'ite militias involved in the fighting have chosen a sectarian name for their Anbar campaign: "Labaik Ya Hussein,'' Arabic for “I am here for you, Hussein.” It refers to a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad who was killed in a seventh-century battle and today remains²² one of the most revered²³ figures of Shi'ite Islam.

　　Warren criticized the name choice. "I think it’s unhelpful," he said.

　　Syria

　　Syrian activists²⁴ said the Islamic State-held town of Palmyra was quiet a day after a series of deadly Syrian government air raids that killed 15 people, including a child and two women, in and around the city. The raids came after the government told the AP that Islamic State fighters have killed more than 400 state employees, soldiers and pro-government gunmen since capturing the town last week.

　　Maamoun Abdulkarim, Syria's antiquities²⁵ chief, said Tuesday the historical ruins at Palmyra, home to a UNESCO World Heritage site, had been unharmed since the Islamic State group seized it from state control last week. However, he said he still feared the jihadist group would blow up ancient ruins, including tombs and the Temple of Bel, which would be viewed as idolatrous in its puritanical²⁶ vision of Islam.

　　Also Tuesday, a video released by the pro-Islamic State Aamaq News Agency, media arm of the Islamic State group, purportedly²⁷ shows the archaeological ruins of Palmyra undamaged but with black smoke billowing behind the ruins.

　　Reuters could not independently verify the video source.

1 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

2 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

4 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

5 par   

n.标准，票面价值，平均数量；adj.票面的，平常的，标准的

参考例句：

• Sales of nylon have been below par in recent years.近年来尼龙织品的销售额一直不及以往。
• I don't think his ability is on a par with yours.我认为他的能力不能与你的能力相媲美。

6 coalesces   

v.联合，合并( coalesce的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• One air cell coalesces with another. 气房彼此融合。 来自辞典例句

7 enrage   

v.触怒，激怒

参考例句：

• She chose a quotation that she knew would enrage him.她选用了一句明知会激怒他的引语。
• He started another matter to enrage me,but I didn't care.他又提出另一问题，想以此激怒我，可我并没在意。

8 junctures   

n.时刻，关键时刻( juncture的名词复数 )；接合点

参考例句：

• At such junctures he always had an impulse to leave. 在这样的紧要关头，他总有要离开的冲动。 来自互联网
• At such junctures he always had an impulse to leave; it was needed on special occasions. 在那时他总有要离开的冲动，在紧急时刻她站了出来。 来自互联网

9 intersections   

n.横断( intersection的名词复数 )；交叉；交叉点；交集

参考例句：

• Traffic lights have been placed at all major intersections. 所有重要的交叉路口都安装了交通信号灯。
• Intersections are of the greatest importance in highway design. 在道路设计中，交叉口占有最重要的地位。 来自辞典例句

10 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

11 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

12 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。

13 coordinate   

adj.同等的，协调的；n.同等者；vt.协作，协调

参考例句：

• You must coordinate what you said with what you did.你必须使你的言行一致。
• Maybe we can coordinate the relation of them.或许我们可以调和他们之间的关系。

14 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

15 deploying   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的现在分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Provides support for developing and deploying distributed, component-based applications. 为开发和部署基于组件的分布式应用程序提供支持。
• Advertisement, publishing, repair, and install-on-demand are all available when deploying your application. 在部署应用程序时提供公布、发布、修复和即需即装功能。

16 acronym   

n.首字母简略词，简称

参考例句：

• That's a mouthful of an acronym for a very simple technology.对于一项非常简单的技术来说，这是一个很绕口的缩写词。
• TSDF is an acronym for Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities.TSDF是处理，储存和处置设施的一个缩写。

17 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

18 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

19 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。

20 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

21 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

22 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

23 revered   

v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of institutions revered and respected in earlier times have become Aunt Sally for the present generation. 一些早年受到尊崇的惯例，现在已经成了这代人嘲弄的对象了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven. 中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。 来自辞典例句

24 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

25 antiquities   

n.古老( antiquity的名词复数 )；古迹；古人们；古代的风俗习惯

参考例句：

• There is rest and healing in the contemplation of antiquities. 欣赏古物有休息和疗养之功。 来自辞典例句
• Bertha developed a fine enthusiasm for the antiquities of London. 伯沙对伦敦的古迹产生了很大的热情。 来自辞典例句

26 puritanical   

adj.极端拘谨的；道德严格的

参考例句：

• He has a puritanical attitude towards sex.他在性问题上主张克制，反对纵欲。
• Puritanical grandfather is very strict with his children.古板严厉的祖父对子女要求非常严格。

27 purportedly   

adv.据称

参考例句：

• This is purportedly the oldest tree in the world. 据称这是世界上最古老的一棵树。 来自互联网
• Mayor Oh Se-Hoon launched the campaign last year, purportedly to improve efficiency. 据悉，首尔市市长吴世勋于去年提出了这项旨在提高工作效率的计划。 来自互联网