2007年VOA标准英语-US General Says He May Need More Time to Assess

By Al Pessin
Pentagon
31 May 2007

The U.S. ground forces commander in Iraq says he might need more time to assess the impact of the new security plan, beyond the September assessment¹ President Bush and the Congress are expecting.  Lieutenant² General Ray Odierno made the statement Thursday during a news conference via satellite with reporters at the Pentagon.  He also spoke³ about increased efforts to reach out to insurgent⁴ groups and a new threat some of his forces are facing as they move into new areas in and around Baghdad.  VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.

General Odierno says the troop surge and the new approach to fighting the Iraqi insurgency⁵ are making progress, with increases in the number of coalition⁶ operations that find weapons caches, bomb factories and insurgent cells.  But he also says insurgents⁷ attack every day, and he cautions against excessive optimism.  The general says he might not be able to make even an initial assessment of the new strategy by September.

Lieutenant General Ray Odierno

"The assessment might be that I need a little more time," he said.  "The assessment might be [that] I've seen enough and it's effective, or I've seen enough and it's not going to be effective.  Right now, if you ask me, I would tell you I'll probably need a little bit more time to do a true assessment."

The general says the last of the additional combat troops will not be in place until mid-June, and they will need considerable time after that to make any significant impact.

"In a counterinsurgency, we've quickly learned they must be immersed into the local populace," he added.  "And it will take new units anywhere from 30 to 60 days to really get a feel for their sectors⁸ so they truly can have an impact on security and stability in their area."

General Odierno says he is sending more troops to Diyala Province, just north and east of Baghdad, to fight insurgents who are fleeing to that area from the capital.  He says it will continue to be a tough fight in Iraq for some time.

He also reports that some units are facing a new threat, what he calls "deep-buried IEDs," large improvised⁹ explosive devices that insurgents have buried around their strongholds.

"In terms of the IEDs, the problem is they're getting bigger and bigger, and it has a lot to do [with] because we were not in these areas, so it gave them time to make bigger IEDs and bury them," he noted¹⁰.  "As we get more presence in these areas it will be more difficult for them to do that."

Iraqi soldiers search a car in Baghdad, 30 May 2007

The general says those powerful bombs have increased the U.S. death toll¹¹, which rose to at least 115 in May, one of the highest U.S. monthly death tolls¹² of the war. 

General Odierno says insurgents are also targeting Iraqi security forces because they have become a bigger threat to the insurgents.  He says he supports proposals to increase the size of the new Iraqi army so it is large enough to secure the country after coalition combat forces eventually withdraw.

At the same time, General Odierno says he has ordered his commanders to put more effort into contacting insurgent groups and trying to get them to stop their attacks.

"We have refocused our commanders at all levels," he explained.  "I'm empowering them and trying to give them some tools to reach out because there are insurgents reaching out to us, which is the most important thing, so we want to reach back to them."

General Odierno says he believes most of the Shi'ite and Sunni insurgents in Iraq can be convinced to reconcile with the government, but not most of the insurgents affiliated¹³ with al-Qaida.

"I believe about 80 percent are reconcilable, both Jesh al-Mahdi and Sunni insurgents," he said.  "I believe very few of al-Qaida are reconcilable."

General Odierno says reconciliation¹⁴ is essential for long-term stability in Iraq.  And he says the coalition is trying to promote that, in part, through increased efforts on economic development, in addition to the security surge.

1 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

2 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。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 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。

5 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

6 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。

7 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

8 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 improvised   

a.即席而作的,即兴的

参考例句：

• He improvised a song about the football team's victory. 他即席创作了一首足球队胜利之歌。
• We improvised a tent out of two blankets and some long poles. 我们用两条毛毯和几根长竿搭成一个临时帐蓬。

10 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

11 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

12 tolls   

（缓慢而有规律的）钟声( toll的名词复数 )； 通行费； 损耗； （战争、灾难等造成的）毁坏

参考例句：

• A man collected tolls at the gateway. 一个人在大门口收通行费。
• The long-distance call tolls amount to quite a sum. 长途电话费数目相当可观。

13 affiliated   

adj. 附属的, 有关连的

参考例句：

• The hospital is affiliated with the local university. 这家医院附属于当地大学。
• All affiliated members can vote. 所有隶属成员都有投票权。

14 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。