2006年VOA标准英语-As Violence Flares, Afghan National Army S

By Benjamin Sand
Paktika, Afghanistan
22 May 2006
 
As violence flares¹ across Afghanistan, U.S. military officials say the new Afghan National Army will have to shoulder greater responsibility for defeating the Taleban insurgency². VOA's Benjamin Sand recently joined U.S. and Afghan troops in southeastern Afghanistan, patrolling the border area with Pakistan that is thought to harbor many of the militants³. He sent this report on the growth of Afghanistan's national forces, and the challenges facing them.

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New Afghan army recruits stand at attention during a graduation ceremony at the Afghan National Army base on the outskirts⁴ of Kabul, Afghanistan (File photo)  
  

U.S. and Afghan soldiers in Paktika province head out to patrol the remote countryside along the Pakistan border. This area is a hotbed of Taleban insurgent⁵ activity. Military officials say militants based inside Pakistan stream across the border at night to attack local targets, and then slip back before daybreak.

They also say ethnic⁶ Pashtuns, who live along the frontier, were loyal to Afghanistan's former Taleban government, and are involved in insurgent violence.

American armored trucks take the lead, directing the convoy⁷ across the dusty fields toward a nearby village.

The Afghan soldiers driving smaller, unprotected pickup⁸ trucks fall in line behind the American Humvees. But once the convoy reaches the town, the Afghan National Army takes over.

A.N.A. soldiers secure the high ground overlooking the town and conduct house-to-house searches, looking for any sign of insurgent activity.

American Captain Jason Griffith says that without the Afghan soldiers, operations like this would be nearly impossible.

"Afghan citizens will be more likely to tell an Afghan soldier about something that's going on in their neighborhood than approaching a foreigner,"Griffith says. "They understand the culture, they understand the problems."

In fact, the U.S. military says reinforcing the A.N.A. is the only way it will be able to secure Afghanistan's long-term stability.

Coalition⁹ forces have committed millions of dollars to the A.N.A.'s development. The French military is helping¹⁰ train the new Afghan officer corps¹¹, while British troops work with the rank and file.

Almost all the U.S. bases now also include barracks for Afghan troops, and the two armies work side by side on most operations.

In Paktika, American Sergeant¹² Bernard Deghand says that for now at least, the Americans continue to take the lead. But he thinks that pretty soon, A.N.A. soldiers will be ready to direct operations by themselves.

"They really know what they're doing," Deghand says. "They know how to fight, they know how to survive. Some of these guys are just amazing at what they know and what they can do."

It is an old story, and not always a happy one: encouraging an army to fight a homegrown insurgency; foreign advisors¹³ describing local recruits in glowing terms. The U.S. military has previous experience in this area and not always successful. Their effort in South Vietnam to build an army to fight the communist insurgency of the 1960's and '70's failed - as history shows. So even though there are signs it might work this time in Afghanistan, success here is not a foregone conclusion. 

The A.N.A. was launched in 2003 and already has some 30,000 troops. Ultimately it hopes to have more than 70,000, including combat infantry¹⁴ and Special Forces.

Sergeant Deghand says the army has already attracted widespread notice for its diversity.

Culturally, Afghanistan is a notoriously fractured society, with dozens of competing tribes and ethnic groups. But from its inception¹⁵, the A.N.A. has been fully¹⁶ integrated and has largely avoided internal conflicts.

In Paktika, Afghan Commander Roidar Hussain directs hundreds of soldiers in one of the most dangerous parts of the country. He says his company includes troops from almost every one of Afghanistan 34 provinces.
 
He says the bottom line is, the A.N.A. represents the entire country. By working together, he says, his troops are able to show even these remote communities that everyone has stake in Afghanistan's future. 

But even its most ardent¹⁷ supporters, including U.S. Sergeant Deghand, admit that the national army itself faces an uncertain future.

"It's something they've never had before, so there's a lot of growing pains," Deghand says.

Desertion is at the top of that list.  Even as the A.N.A. works to expand its numbers, it is having trouble holding on to those soldiers it already has.

In several camps, more than half the troops have deserted¹⁸, and thousands more are reportedly set to leave once they complete their three-year contracts later this year.

Officials say the major issue is poor pay. A.N.A. soldiers earn about $90 a month, significantly less than they could make as civilians¹⁹.

The chance for an education may offset²⁰ the drawbacks. In Paktika, where an estimated 80 percent of the soldiers are illiterate²¹, a local company commander teaches basic literacy classes. In another camp, soldiers study to become plumbers²² or electricians.

Captain Griffith says the Americans are encouraging senior A.N.A. officers to provide better training to improve the retention²³ rate.

"In most areas, the advantage for a soldier to stay in is a greater education so when they walk off after their service in the army they can be more than just a laborer," Griffith says.

Everywhere, officers say morale²⁴ is improving and recruitment is on the rise. For every soldier that quits the army, they insist they are attracting two new replacements²⁵.

But officials admit it might be years before the A.N.A. will be entirely²⁶ self-sufficient, and time is not unlimited²⁷. The Taleban recently launched a so-called summer offensive, and attacks are increasing throughout the country.

In Paktika, local residents say they still believe the A.N.A. can help provide security. But Afghans are notoriously fickle²⁸ in their loyalties²⁹. If the violence continues, they say they might reconsider their support of the central government. They might, they say, join the Taleban.

1 flares   

n.喇叭裤v.（使）闪耀( flare的第三人称单数 )；（使）（船舷）外倾；（使）鼻孔张大；（使）（衣裙、酒杯等）呈喇叭形展开

参考例句：

• The side of a ship flares from the keel to the deck. 船舷从龙骨向甲板外倾。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation. 他是火爆性子，一点就着。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

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 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

5 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

6 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

7 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

8 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。

9 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。

10 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

11 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

12 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

13 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

14 infantry   

n.[总称]步兵(部队)

参考例句：

• The infantry were equipped with flame throwers.步兵都装备有喷火器。
• We have less infantry than the enemy.我们的步兵比敌人少。

15 inception   

n.开端，开始，取得学位

参考例句：

• The programme has been successful since its inception.这个方案自开始实施以来一直卓有成效。
• Julia's worked for that company from its inception.自从那家公司开办以来，朱莉娅一直在那儿工作。

16 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

17 ardent   

adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的

参考例句：

• He's an ardent supporter of the local football team.他是本地足球队的热情支持者。
• Ardent expectations were held by his parents for his college career.他父母对他的大学学习抱着殷切的期望。

18 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

19 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

20 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

21 illiterate   

adj.文盲的；无知的；n.文盲

参考例句：

• There are still many illiterate people in our country.在我国还有许多文盲。
• I was an illiterate in the old society,but now I can read.我这个旧社会的文盲，今天也认字了。

22 plumbers   

n.管子工，水暖工( plumber的名词复数 )；[美][口]（防止泄密的）堵漏人员

参考例句：

• Plumbers charge by the hour for their work. 水管工人的工作是以小时收费的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Plumbers, carpenters, and other workmen finished the new house quickly. 管道工、木工及其他工匠很快完成了这幢新房子。 来自辞典例句

23 retention   

n.保留，保持，保持力，记忆力

参考例句：

• They advocate the retention of our nuclear power plants.他们主张保留我们的核电厂。
• His retention of energy at this hour is really surprising.人们惊叹他在这个时候还能保持如此旺盛的精力。

24 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。

25 replacements   

n.代替( replacement的名词复数 )；替换的人[物]；替代品；归还

参考例句：

• They infiltrated behind the lines so as to annoy the emery replacements. 他们渗透敌后以便骚扰敌军的调度。 来自辞典例句
• For oil replacements, cheap suddenly looks less of a problem. 对于石油的替代品来说，价格变得无足轻重了。 来自互联网

26 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

27 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

28 fickle   

adj.(爱情或友谊上)易变的，不坚定的

参考例句：

• Fluctuating prices usually base on a fickle public's demand.物价的波动往往是由于群众需求的不稳定而引起的。
• The weather is so fickle in summer.夏日的天气如此多变。

29 loyalties   

n.忠诚( loyalty的名词复数 )；忠心；忠于…感情；要忠于…的强烈感情

参考例句：

• an intricate network of loyalties and relationships 忠诚与义气构成的盘根错节的网络
• Rows with one's in-laws often create divided loyalties. 与姻亲之间的矛盾常常让人两面为难。 来自《简明英汉词典》