VOA常速英语2007年-Terrorist Attacks in Iraq Eroding Local Support

By Jim Randle
Taji, Iraq
09 November 2007
 

U.S. military officers and local sheiks say an area north and west of Baghdad is turning away from the al-Qaida terror group and offering more support to the Iraqi government. The change follows a series of brutal¹ acts by insurgents² that angered many local people. As VOA's Jim Randle reports, the change follows a pattern seen in Anbar province, where people who once supported, or at least tolerated, al-Qaida became enraged³ by the group's deadly excesses.

In the Taji area, al-Qaida blew up schools, and a hospital,.  A bridge that carries traffic across a large canal got blown up twice.

Tribal⁴ leader Sheik Nadeem Hatem Al-Sultan Al-Temimi decided⁵ al-Qaida and its foreign fighters had gone too far when they set off a car bomb with horrifying⁶ results. 

"They sent it to the supermarket or the Iraqi street, and when [local people] saw the kids who got killed or the women who got killed or the old men who got killed, a lot of people, they wake up and they see what al-Qaida do in Iraq," he said.

The sheik and other local leaders say tribes in the Taji area, both Sunni and Shi'ite, are cooperating with the Iraqi government and U.S. forces, offering information and support.

Hundreds of men from various Iraqi tribes have volunteered to join neighborhood watch groups, man checkpoints and look out for strangers.

Iraqi Police Colonel Sabah Wahid says the new attitude and the wave of volunteers have cut violence in the area significantly. "A year ago, we were in a bad situation. We had a lot of militias⁷ and sectarian friction⁸ between Sunni and Shi'ite," he said.

U.S. Army Lieutenant⁹ Colonel Pete Andrysiak says winning support from tribes has cut violence and made it possible to make progress toward restarting the economy. Colonel Andrysiak's First Brigade of the First Cavalry¹⁰ Division operates in the Taji area. "People were opening up their business, the markets were opening back up, people were looking for other opportunities to work. Contractors¹¹ were not as afraid to come to work anymore," he said.

The improved security situation allowed work to resume on a generating plant needed to bolster¹² Iraq's black-out prone¹³ electric supply.

Chief Engineer Muhammad Muhamedin says terrorist threats against the plant's staff and an attack on his predecessor¹⁴ caused major delays. "Thanks be to God, the project has recovered after 10 months of suspension because of the security situation," he said. "The previous project manager was assassinated¹⁵ here in the plant."

The plant is now moving closer to completion.

But the area is still a long way from recovery. A furniture factory could employ 1,000, but erratic¹⁶ electric power and security worries mean it operates at a tiny fraction of capacity. Government officials have paid to improve the facility and hope it will again be a significant source of jobs.

U.S. troops are working with civilian¹⁷ experts and local officials to improve the delivery of basic services. The Americans say a robust¹⁸ local government could become a good source of municipal jobs.

The Americans and many other see good jobs as a key step toward a stable future here in Iraq.

1 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

2 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

3 enraged   

使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤

参考例句：

• I was enraged to find they had disobeyed my orders. 发现他们违抗了我的命令，我极为恼火。
• The judge was enraged and stroke the table for several times. 大法官被气得连连拍案。

4 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 horrifying   

a.令人震惊的，使人毛骨悚然的

参考例句：

• He went to great pains to show how horrifying the war was. 他极力指出战争是多么的恐怖。
• The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate. 战争的可能性太可怕了，真不堪细想。

7 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

8 friction   

n.摩擦，摩擦力

参考例句：

• When Joan returned to work,the friction between them increased.琼回来工作后，他们之间的摩擦加剧了。
• Friction acts on moving bodies and brings them to a stop.摩擦力作用于运动着的物体，并使其停止。

9 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

10 cavalry   

n.骑兵；轻装甲部队

参考例句：

• We were taken in flank by a troop of cavalry. 我们翼侧受到一队骑兵的袭击。
• The enemy cavalry rode our men down. 敌人的骑兵撞倒了我们的人。

11 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

13 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

14 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

15 assassinated   

v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏

参考例句：

• The prime minister was assassinated by extremists. 首相遭极端分子暗杀。
• Then, just two days later, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 跟着在两天以后，肯尼迪总统在达拉斯被人暗杀。 来自辞典例句

16 erratic   

adj.古怪的，反复无常的，不稳定的

参考例句：

• The old man had always been cranky and erratic.那老头儿性情古怪,反复无常。
• The erratic fluctuation of market prices is in consequence of unstable economy.经济波动致使市场物价忽起忽落。

17 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。

18 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。