2006年VOA标准英语-Iraqi Officials Hold Emergency Meeting to Resol

By Benjamin Sand
Irbil, Iraq
21 October 2006

Iraq's interior minister held an emergency meeting Saturday with Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, a day after armed members of the Shi'ite leader's militia¹ briefly² took over a key southern city.  The recent conflict underscores the rising power of Iraq's sectarian militias³.

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		Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani

Interior Minister Jawad Bolani met with the powerful anti-American cleric Saturday.
 
A day earlier, hundreds of gunmen loyal to al-Sadr stormed the southern city of Amara, briefly capturing the entire area.

Speaking to reporters after Saturday's meeting Bolani insisted the situation in Amara has been resolved.

He says a few legal measures still need to be taken, before Iraqi forces can complete their investigation⁴.

The showdown in Amara apparently⁵ pitted Sadr's Mahdi Army with local security forces loyal to a rival Shi'ite militia known as the Badr Brigade.

Local residents say a negotiated truce⁶ between the government and the two militias appears to be holding.

But the attack has already left a lasting⁷ impression on the public here. Increasingly, it is the militias and not the national army that are seen as having most of the power in Iraq.

Sunni militias are also pushing for an advantage. Earlier this week, hundreds of Sunni insurgents⁸ in two cities west of Baghdad held military-style parades, openly challenging the national government's authority.

Concerns are also growing of a possible major confrontation⁹ between the rival militias.

On Friday, both Shi'ite and Sunni religious leaders called for an end to the sectarian violence in Iraq.

The clerics signed a 10-point edict forbidding violence between the two Muslim sects¹⁰.

The joint¹¹ declaration ended a two-day meeting in Islam's holiest city, Mecca, sponsored by the Saudi-based Organization of the Islamic Conference.

But throughout most of the country Saturday, the major news once again focused on fresh outbreaks of sectarian violence.

In Baghdad, a suicide bomber¹² targeted a minibus full of shoppers preparing for the coming Eid holiday. Police say at least four people were killed and many more seriously injured, most of them women and children.

South of Baghdad, Shi'ite gunmen battled police in Suwayra leaving at least 10 people dead.
 
And U.S. officials say coalition¹³ forces in Ramadi have killed a senior al-Qaida-in-Iraq leader and detained seven other suspected terrorists during a recent raid.

1 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

2 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

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 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

6 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

7 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

8 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

9 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

10 sects   

n.宗派，教派( sect的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Members of these sects are ruthlessly persecuted and suppressed. 这些教派的成员遭到了残酷的迫害和镇压。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had subdued the religious sects, cleaned up Saigon. 他压服了宗教派别，刷新了西贡的面貌。 来自辞典例句

11 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。

12 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

13 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。