2007年VOA标准英语-US Commander in Northern Iraq Asks for More Tro

By Meredith Buel
Washington
11 May 2007

The U.S. commander in northern Iraq says he does not have enough manpower to secure the increasingly violent Diyala province.  Major General Benjamin Mixon made the remarks to reporters at the Pentagon by videoconference from Iraq.  VOA correspondent Meredith Buel has details from Washington.

General Mixon commands the area of Iraq that includes Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad.

Diyala is a large, ethnically² mixed region that has experienced some of the worst violence since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

Mixon says the province is a focus for al-Qaida terrorists and contains a large number of Sunni insurgents³ that receive support from the local population.

The general says he needs more troops to secure the area.

ongoing4 security operations in Iraq, 9 Mar1 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070605/1046140.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon (l) and U.S. Army Col. Trogdon speak with Pentagon reporters via satellite, providing an update on ongoing security operations in Iraq, 9 Mar 2007

"I do not have enough soldiers right now in Diyala province to get that security situation moving," he said.  "We have plans to put additional forces in that area.  I can't discuss the details of that.  We have put additional forces in there over the last couple of months, but I am going to need additional forces in Diyala province to get that situation to a more acceptable level so the Iraqi security forces will be able in the future to handle that."

The general says he currently has about 3,500 U.S. troops in Diyala province, with about 10,000 Iraqi soldiers and several thousand Iraqi police. 

Mixon says Diyala's government is so ineffective at providing services that it could be described as nonfunctioning. 

The general says ministries⁵ in Baghdad are to blame because they are to slow to provide support to provincial⁶ governors and Iraqi security services.

"After nearly eight months on the ground I am concerned about the overall progress of our Iraqi security forces and the governmental processes," he added.  "Progress is being made in selected areas, although slow.  At times we have episodic setbacks and unnecessary roadblocks to security and governance, but we continue to move forward."

President Bush has ordered nearly 30,000 additional troops to Iraq, primarily to help calm sectarian violence in Baghdad.

General Mixon says insurgents, facing the crackdown in the Iraqi capital, have migrated to Diyala and other provinces.

The general says providing security and improving local government services are critical components⁷ for defeating the insurgency⁸.

"The most important and difficult task we have is to improve the Iraqi government capacity, particularly at the provincial level," he explained.  "That will lead the people to have confidence in their government.  The confidence of the people in that government will enhance our security operations and enable us to ultimately defeat this enemy."

General Mixon says showing Iraqis that their government can provide for them "will be the most powerful weapon against the insurgency."

1 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

2 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

3 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

4 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

5 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

6 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

7 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

8 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