2006年VOA标准英语-Rival Warlords Clash in Northern Afghanistan

By Benjamin Sand
Islamabad
09 August 2006

Supporter, center, kisses and shows his respect at the western stronghold of a regional warlord and former governor of Herat, Ismail Khan, left, during meeting in his residence in Herat in Afghanistan (File photo)

Violent clashes between rival warlords in Northern Afghanistan have killed at least four people and forced hundreds of civilians² from their homes. The fighting in the relatively³ stable North comes as international forces in the South and East continue to fight a growing Taleban insurgency⁴. 

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Afghan Officials say the fighting in the North started more than week ago in the province of Faryab.

Militant⁵ forces linked to rival warlords Abdul Rashid Dostum and Abdul Malik engaged in a series of violent clashes in the region.

The latest fighting occurred on Monday and killed at least one civilian¹. Local residents say hundreds of villagers have fled the area to escape the violence.

The Afghan national army and police force have reportedly regained⁶ control of the situation and are maintaining a tenuous⁷ cease-fire.

NATO spokesman Mark Laity⁸ says local and national officials, with support from NATO troops in the country, are working to end the crisis.

"Now we're obviously aware that there is a long-running disagreement between the parties involved, so we don't expect to produce a 100 percent solution overnight, but I think this is a very good move towards a more stable situation in that area," he said.

Neither side has disclosed what sparked the violence, but fighting between the two groups is not uncommon⁹.

Both Malik and Dostum are members of Afghanistan's ethnic¹⁰ Uzbek community, and command sizable private armies in the North. Dostum and his men were members of the Northern Alliance that helped drive the Taleban from power in 2001.

Dostum is currently serving as Afghanistan's military chief of staff - one of a number of former warlords now holding senior positions in the government that was formed after last year's elections.

Malik, who was once a key Dostum supporter, recently emerged as one of his chief political rivals.

Meanwhile, adding to the central government's woes¹¹, the Taleban insurgency in the South and East appears to be growing.

Monday, suspected Taleban insurgents¹² in Helmand province hanged a 70-year-old women and her son after accusing them of being government spies.

Coalition¹³ spokesman Col. Tom Collins says there are also widespread reports that Taleban militants¹⁴ in the eastern province of Ghazni are forcing young men to join the insurgency.

"They have knocked on the doors at night seeking fighting-age males, one from each household, and they [the males] are being pressed into Taleban service," said colonel Collins.

Separately, Collins said, U.S forces killed 12 Taleban fighters during clashes in Nuristan province Tuesday.

Afghanistan is experiencing its bloodiest¹⁵ year since the Taleban was ousted¹⁶ in 2001. More than 1,700 people, mostly militants, have been killed in the surging violence.

1 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

2 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。

3 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

4 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

5 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

6 regained   

复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• The majority of the people in the world have regained their liberty. 世界上大多数人已重获自由。
• She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise. 她犹豫片刻，但很快恢复了镇静。

7 tenuous   

adj.细薄的，稀薄的，空洞的

参考例句：

• He has a rather tenuous grasp of reality.他对现实认识很肤浅。
• The air ten miles above the earth is very tenuous.距离地面十公里的空气十分稀薄。

8 laity   

n.俗人；门外汉

参考例句：

• The Church and the laity were increasingly active in charity work.教会与俗众越来越积极参与慈善工作。
• Clergy and laity alike are divided in their views.神职人员和信众同样都观点各异。

9 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

10 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。

11 woes   

困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉

参考例句：

• Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
• She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。

12 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

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。

14 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。

15 bloodiest   

adj.血污的( bloody的最高级 )；流血的；屠杀的；残忍的

参考例句：

• The Russians were going to suffer their bloodiest defeat of all before Berlin. 俄国人在柏林城下要遭到他们的最惨重的失败。 来自辞典例句
• It was perhaps the bloodiest hour in the history of warfare. 这也许是战争史上血腥味最浓的1个小时。 来自互联网

16 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。