2006年VOA标准英语-Iraqi Security Forces Assume Control for Southe

By Margaret Besheer
Irbil
13 July 2006

Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki addresses an audience during a handover ceremony, Thursday, July 13, 2006, in Samawah   
  
For the first time, coalition¹ troops have handed over security of one of Iraq's 18 provinces to Iraqi forces.

British and Australian troops Thursday transferred security for the southern province of Muthanna to Iraqi security forces. The mostly Shi'ite province is about 370 kilometers southeast of Baghdad, and is home to more than half a million people.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was present for the hand-over ceremony, and reassured² the regional governor that, although terrorists might try to make this experiment fail, the government would do everything it could to make it a success.

But despite the calm in Muthanna, violence persisted in other parts of the country, with at least 16 people reported killed Thursday. The sectarian killings⁴, particularly in and around Baghdad, have forced many families to flee the area. Hundreds of families have gone to safer areas in northern Iraq's Kurdistan region.

At a news conference Thursday in the northern city of Irbil, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said he hopes those families will be able to return home, as soon as the situation improves.

He blamed terrorists for the situation, saying they have lost all hope of succeeding in destroying democracy in Iraq, and so they are killing³ and kidnapping anyone.

In the last week, sectarian attacks have killed more than 100 Iraqis.

But the Iraqi president said the country has not descended⁵ into civil war. He says there are problems between some groups, but it is not a war.

In other developments, the U.S. military said one of its helicopters crashed southwest of Baghdad during a combat patrol, but the two pilots survived. The U.S. military also reported the death of an American sailor that occurred Wednesday in hostile action.

And in Washington, the White House announced that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will meet with President Bush in Washington on July 25. President Bush paid the Iraqi Prime Minister a surprise visit last month in Baghdad.

1 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。

2 reassured   

adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The captain's confidence during the storm reassured the passengers. 在风暴中船长的信念使旅客们恢复了信心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The doctor reassured the old lady. 医生叫那位老妇人放心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

4 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

5 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。