2007年VOA标准英语-Outgoing US Commander Says No Guarantee of Succ

By Jim Randle
Baghdad
15 January 2007

The outgoing commander of U.S. forces in Iraq says it will probably take months to see results from a new security plan for Iraq. And, as VOA's Jim Randle reports from Baghdad, the general says there are no guarantees that it will work.

 
General George Casey (file photo)
The U.S. commander in Iraq, General George Casey told reporters he did not expect significant results from the new Iraqi-American security drive for three to six months.

"There are no guarantees of success, and it is not going to happen overnight, but with sustained political support and the concentrated efforts on all sides, I believe that this plan can work," the general said.

The plan outlined by President Bush calls for moving more than 20,000 additional U.S. troops to Iraq, mostly to Baghdad.

Critics of the president's plan say it depends on strong cooperation from Iraq's Shi'ite dominated government, which has been reluctant to crack down on Shi'ite militias² blamed for a share of Iraq's sectarian violence. News reports say Washington has been pressing Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to take a tougher line on the sectarian militias.

 
Zalmay Khalilzad 
But U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad says Iraq's government is making its own decisions, and will take action on this issue because it is in Iraq's interest.

"There is no American imposed deadline on the government or the prime minister that [says] you must perform or else, or you must do "X" or else," the ambassador said. "No, we respect the fact that this is a sovereign nation and there is an elected prime minister."

Both Casey and Khalilzad said Iraqi officials have assured them that no part of Baghdad would be allowed to serve as sanctuaries³ for gunmen.

That concerns grows out of past interference by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to protect the Mahdi Army militia¹ of radical⁴ Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, one of the Iraqi leader's key political backers.

The general said this plan has a greater chance of success than previous efforts to curb⁵ sectarian violence because Iraq's government has voiced stronger support for the effort.

Meanwhile, Iraq's government has executed two close aides of former president Saddam Hussein. Saddam's half brother, Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti, and the former head of Iraq's Revolutionary Court, Awad Hamed al-Bandar were hanged early Monday for their roles in the deaths of 148 Iraqi Shi'ites in the village of Dujail in 1982.

An Iraqi government spokesman confirmed Barzan's head was ripped off his body during the hanging. He said the decapitation was unintentional, and that such incidents sometimes occur in hangings.

Saddam was hanged December 30 for the Dujail killings⁶ in a chaotic⁷ scene that has drawn⁸ international criticism.

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 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

3 sanctuaries   

n.避难所( sanctuary的名词复数 )；庇护；圣所；庇护所

参考例句：

• The designation of special marine reserves and marine sanctuaries shall be subject to the State Council for approval. 海洋特别保护区、海上自然保护区的确定，须经国务院批准。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After 1965 he acquiesced when they established sanctuaries on that soil. 1965年以后，他默认了他们在那块土地上建立庇护所。 来自辞典例句

4 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

5 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

6 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。

7 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

8 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。