2007年VOA标准英语-Rice: New Offensive Against Insurgents in Baghd

By Barry Newhouse
Baghdad
17 February 2007

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made an unannounced visit to Baghdad Saturday for meetings with Iraqi leaders. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from northern Iraq, her trip comes as U.S. and Iraqi forces continue efforts to secure the capital.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice smiles during a meeting with the Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad, 17 Feb 2007

Secretary Rice said Baghdad's security operation appears to be off to a good start, but the operation's success cannot be evaluated overnight.

After meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Secretary Rice praised his efforts and said the two discussed ways for the United States to continue to support the security plan.

 

"I'll say that we're very impressed with the leadership of the prime minister and his team thus far. We believe that they are clearly showing that this can be a new phase for the people of Iraq," she said.

U.S. and Iraqi officials have created high hopes among Baghdad residents for the security plan - now in its fourth day. Officials from both countries have called it a success, citing a fall in insurgent¹ attacks, a decrease in the number of bodies found on Baghdad's streets and the return home of some 130 families, who had fled violence in their neighborhoods.

On Saturday in Baghdad, residents told Iraqi television that life has improved under the plan.

This man says, "There is more security now. Before, we couldn't go out in the streets, but, now, we can go and move around. Some shops have opened."

Some residents say that - like the start of previous attempts to increase security in Baghdad - insurgents² and sectarian militias⁴ appear to have gone into hiding, or left town.

Secretary Rice told reporters traveling with her that, while the decrease in militia³ killings⁵ is a positive development, how Iraqis use that "breathing space" is what is important.

U.S. officials have urged Iraq's Shi'ite-led government to work with Sunni lawmakers to find a political solution for preventing a deepening sectarian war.

Meanwhile, two car bomb blasts in a market in the northern city of Kirkuk killed at least nine people and wounded 60 others. The attacks occurred in a mainly Kurdish area of Kirkuk. Kurds and Arabs frequently clash in the oil-rich, ethnically⁶ divided city.

1 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。

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 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。

4 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

5 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。

6 ethnically   

adv.人种上，民族上

参考例句：

• Ethnically, the Yuan Empire comprised most of modern China's ethnic groups. 元朝的民族成分包括现今中国绝大多数民族。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• Russia is ethnically relatively homogeneous. 俄罗斯是个民族成分相对单一的国家。 来自辞典例句