2007年VOA标准英语-US Military Plays Down Baghdad Security Progres

By Barry Newhouse
Irbil, Iraq
06 June 2007

U.S. military commanders are playing down a military report that says the Baghdad security operation is moving more slowly than expected, with American and Iraqi forces now in control of about one third of Baghdad's neighborhoods. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from northern Iraq that commanders say it is still too early to assess the security operation, now in its third month.

US helicopter over Baghdad

The report says U.S. and Iraqi forces are able to protect citizens and maintain influence over 146 of Baghdad's 457 neighborhoods. In other neighborhoods, US and Iraqi troops are still rooting out enemy fighters, or trying to disrupt insurgent¹ operations before clearing can begin.

U.S. military officials say the report is an internal assessment² tool and is not meant as a review of the effectiveness of the security operation. They say they expect to start seeing results from the operation later this summer.

U.S. Army Colonel Bryan Roberts commands U.S. forces in western Baghdad's al Karkh district, where he says Iraqi and American troops have succeeded in providing security for the district's 250,000 people.

In a televised press conference from Baghdad Tuesday, he attributed the success to the competence³ of the Iraqi commander he works with.

"I think this success that we're achieving right now will be long-term, it's depending largely on the Iraqi security forces who have stepped up to the plate and are performing quite nicely," said Colonel Roberts.

The military report says the Baghdad security operation has been slowed by Iraqi forces who have been unable to maintain security in cleared neighborhoods. The report says some Iraqi units lack sufficient manpower or have sectarian loyalties⁴.

U.S. forces have had to revisit cleared neighborhoods to root out militants⁵.

American commanders have warned of more U.S. casualties as troops clear Baghdad's insurgent-held neighborhoods. The 122 American troop deaths in May were the highest monthly tally⁶ in two years.

Iraqi casualties have also mounted as the security operation continues. The Iraqi government reported nearly 2,000 Iraqi civilians⁷ were killed in May, an increase of some 30 percent since April.

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 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？

3 competence   

n.能力，胜任，称职

参考例句：

• This mess is a poor reflection on his competence.这种混乱情况说明他难当此任。
• These are matters within the competence of the court.这些是法院权限以内的事。

4 loyalties   

n.忠诚( loyalty的名词复数 )；忠心；忠于…感情；要忠于…的强烈感情

参考例句：

• an intricate network of loyalties and relationships 忠诚与义气构成的盘根错节的网络
• Rows with one's in-laws often create divided loyalties. 与姻亲之间的矛盾常常让人两面为难。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

6 tally   

n.计数器，记分，一致，测量；vt.计算，记录，使一致；vi.计算，记分，一致

参考例句：

• Don't forget to keep a careful tally of what you spend.别忘了仔细记下你的开支账目。
• The facts mentioned in the report tally to every detail.报告中所提到的事实都丝毫不差。

7 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。