2007年VOA标准英语-Pakistan Releases Al-Qaida Operative

By Benjamin Sand
Islamabad
21 August 2007

Hedayat Noor, right, father of Naeem Noor Khan with his lawyer Babar Awan after a hearing at a court in Rawalpindi (File photo - 14 Dec 2004)

Pakistan has released an alleged¹ al-Qaida operative without charge three years after his arrest. The suspect played a key role in an undercover sting operation that targeted known al-Qaida terrorists. From Islamabad, VOA correspondent Benjamin Sand reports.

Pakistani authorities say Mohammad Naeem Noor Khan was freed several days ago and is with his family in the southern city of Karachi.

Khan's lawyer, Babar Awan says the government gave no indication it had been considering the release.

"I was taken by surprise when I started arguing before the Supreme² Court and suddenly the Attorney General came up and said Mr. Khan has been released," said Awan.

Khan was arrested in 2004 in the eastern city of Lahore.

Intelligence officers described Khan as a senior Al-Qaida computer expert.

He was seen as a liaison³ between the terrorist group's leaders and its militant⁴ forces around the world.

His computer contained alleged plans for possible terrorist attacks in London and several cities in the United States.

E-mails linked Khan to suspects in the 1998 U.S. embassy attacks in East Africa and led to a number of arrests in Africa, the Middle East and Great Britain.

Khan himself was reportedly never charged and officials familiar with his case say he cooperated with investigators⁵ who were leading a major sting operation targeting Al-Qaida militants⁶.

His undercover work came to an abrupt⁷ end however after his name and detention⁸ were reported in the media only a few weeks after his arrest.

More recently Khan's name was tied to a separate and still unresolved controversy⁹ here in Pakistan.

Families and human rights workers have been pressing the government through the courts for information about several hundred suspected militants. They say the militants, including Khan, have been secretly and illegally detained as part of the government's war against terrorism.

The plight¹⁰ of the secretly detained has fueled opposition¹¹ to the government's efforts to crack down on religious extremists.

 

At the same time U.S. officials say Pakistan has to do more to combat al-Qaida linked militants operating inside its borders.

Pakistan remains¹² a key U.S. ally in the region although security experts say Al-Qaida is gaining ground in the country's remote tribal¹³ areas along the Afghan border.

1 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

2 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

3 liaison   

n.联系，（未婚男女间的）暖昧关系，私通

参考例句：

• She acts as a liaison between patients and staff.她在病人与医护人员间充当沟通的桥梁。
• She is responsible for liaison with researchers at other universities.她负责与其他大学的研究人员联系。

4 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

5 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 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。

7 abrupt   

adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的

参考例句：

• The river takes an abrupt bend to the west.这河突然向西转弯。
• His abrupt reply hurt our feelings.他粗鲁的回答伤了我们的感情。

8 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

9 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

10 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

11 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

12 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

13 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。