美军空袭击毙前基地组织头目

 　　The U.S. military says it launched an airstrike against a top al-Qaida linked terrorist in Libya wanted for a deadly 2013 attack on a gas plant in Algeria.

　　Libya's internationally recognized government says the airstrike killed Mokhtar Belmokhtar Saturday in the eastern part of the country.

　　But the Pentagon cannot yet confirm if Belmokhtar is dead. Spokesman Colonel Steve Warren gave no other details on the operation other than to say military officials believe the airstrike was successful. He did not say where the strike took place and if an unmanned drone firing a missile was used.

　　US Airstrike Targets Top Al-Qaida Terrorist in Libya

　　The U.S. State Department had posted a $5 million reward for Belmokhtar, leader of a group calling itself the Signed in Blood Battalion¹.

　　U.S. officials accuse him of leading the 2013 terrorist attack on a gas facility in Algeria that killed 37 people, including three Americans.

　　The political chaos² in Libya - where Islamic militants³ and an internationally recognized parliament have set up two separate governments - has allowed al-Qaida to grab territory.

　　Libya has descended⁴ into chaos since a NATO-backed revolt unseated longtime authoritarian⁵ leader Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. Jihadist groups have exploited the lawlessness, which also has prompted a huge influx⁶ of migrants trying to make the dangerous crossing to Europe, with shipwrecks⁷ leaving hundreds dead and the EU straining to respond.

　　Washington has deployed⁸ drones to strike targets in the region before.

1 battalion   

n.营；部队；大队(的人)

参考例句：

• The town was garrisoned by a battalion.该镇由一营士兵驻守。
• At the end of the drill parade,the battalion fell out.操练之后，队伍解散了。

2 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

3 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。

4 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

5 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

6 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

7 shipwrecks   

海难，船只失事( shipwreck的名词复数 )； 沉船

参考例句：

• Shipwrecks are apropos of nothing. 船只失事总是来得出人意料。
• There are many shipwrecks in these waters. 在这些海域多海难事件。

8 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。