CNN 美国有线新闻 2014-09-20（打印版）

Iceland is where we began today's commercial-free show. I am Carl Azuz. Welcome to CNN Student News.Volcanologists are people who study all things volcanic. They've been keeping a close eye on a rural area of Eastern Iceland because it's been a hotspot for earthquakes and volcanic activities. It's been going on for nearly a month now. We've talked about the Bardarbunga Volcano. It's the largest volcanic system in Iceland. Here is what it's been doing. Volcanic ash has not been a major problem, yet the volcanologists are warning it could become one. The immediate effects are larva fissures and gas. Miles away, children and people with respiratory problems have been told to stay indoors with their windows closed. Sulfur dioxide from the eruption is polluting the air and some Icelandic cities. And this isn't limited to the island country of Iceland. Even across the Norwegian Sea, there is a nasty smell in the air. Experts say the stench of sulfur is drifting from Iceland to Norway and Finland.

The US military has been sending surveillance flights over Syria as it prepares expected air strikes against the ISIS terrorist group. Over the weekend, ISIS murdered a British citizen who's captured in Syria, saying it was for Britain's alliance with the US. President Obama says he will not send US troops into Syria to fight ISIS but critic say his current strategy won't be enough to defeat the terrorists. Congress is debating whether to support President Obama's plan to arm Syria's rebels. They are fighting both ISIS and Syria government in a civil war. It's a complicated situation especially when it comes to Syria.

The Obama Administration is comparing military action against ISIS to other ongoing operations against Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsular in Yemen and against Al-Shabaab in Somalia. And there are similarities - both of those campaigns taking place largely from the air, no real US presence on the ground, and also both of those campaigns taking place in largely lawless countries like you are seeing in Syria today. But the planned operations against ISIS have differences. For one, they are more ambitious. Just in the last month in Iraq, the US has carried out more air strikes than it has carried out in years in Yemen or in Somalia. And there are particular problems in Syria that made the campaign against ISIS more difficult. For one, the civil war in Syria is particularly confusing. The enemy is ISIS but ISIS' chief rival, the government of Bashar Al Assad is also an American enemy. What happens even when the battles against ISIS is over? Does US go after Assad then as well? The US also has very difficult allies on the ground. In Syria, the moderate Syrian rebels there have not proven very effective in fighting ISIS on their own. In Iraq, the Iraqi army as well has not made any significant gains against ISIS and has shown problems like running away, dropping their uniforms when ISIS were to advance. Will those allies in both Syria and Iraq prove to be reliable allies going forward? Another challenge here is what is the end game? The president has said his goal is to degrade and destroy ISIS. The US, for instance, in Afghanistan has been going after these groups for 13 years and Al-Qaeda still survives. In Yemen, AQAP still survives. Al-Shabaab in Somalia after years of military action. Will that be the same with ISIS in Iraq and Syria? That's still an open question.

CNN 美国有线新闻 2014-09-20（在线收听）