VOA标准英语2008年-Leaders in Iraq's Anbar Province Join to Fight

By Deborah Block
Abu Ghraib, Iraq
08 January 2008

In the past few months, U.S. military leaders in Iraq have been praising the work of so-called "Anbar Awakening¹" councils composed of Sunni tribal² leaders in western Anbar province. The tribal sheikhs have allied³ themselves with U.S. forces and against al-Qaida in Iraq. The number of Iraqis aligning⁴ themselves with the Anbar movement has been growing.  And according to the Multi-National Force in Iraq, more than 70,000 men in eight provinces are now active in similar groups. VOA's Deborah Block recently attended an Awakening meeting in Anbar and filed this report.

In a village near Abu Ghraib, west of Baghdad, 1,000 tribal sheikhs and other local leaders from predominately Sunni Anbar province have come to hear messages of unity⁵.

This sheikh from Fallujah, Abdurrahman Ahzobi, is encouraging local leaders to fight al-Qaida in Iraq.  He says it is important to have all Iraqis united again.

U.S. officials say al-Qaida in Iraq remains⁶ a threat that must be pursued.  A recent Internet message attributed to Osama bin⁷ Laden⁸ warns Iraqis not to join counter-insurgency patrols or help rebuild a U.S. backed national unity government. 

Although Sunni sheikhs started the Awakening movement, now Shi'ites, a minority group in Anbar, are working to reconcile differences with Sunnis in order to rid the area of insurgents⁹.   

U.S. Army Colonel Kurt Pinkerton says both Shi'ites and Sunnis are cooperating with coalition¹⁰ forces to stop the violence.

"Al-Qaida chased people out," he said.  "Both the Sunnis and Shi'ites are moving back into areas they left.  We have many checkpoints that are manned by tribes that are both Sunni and Shi'ite who are sitting together."

Tom Burke is with a U.S. reconstruction¹¹ team helping¹² Iraqis start development projects in Anbar.  He says the difference is remarkable¹³. 

"[You'll see] people talking to people, to show by-gones are by-gones, that we can work together, no matter if we are Sunni or Shi'ite," he said.  "They support one government, the government of Iraq, that they want an end to violence."

U.S. military commanders say they are working with thousands of Iraqi volunteers who are helping to secure their tribal areas in Anbar.

Although the men are called volunteers, they are paid $300 a month by the U.S. military for their work alongside the Awakening movement.  U.S. officials say the volunteers have helped cut violence in Anbar by more than half since last June by providing information about al-Qaida in Iraq and manning checkpoints. 

Ahmed Jamil Hussein is in charge of 180 volunteers in Abu Ghraib.

He says the volunteers have a good relationship with coalition forces and are doing their best to keep the area secure.

Tom Burke says as security improves, it becomes possible to set up essential services that are lacking, such as running water.

Ali Majid Salman al-Janabi, a sheikh from Abu Ghraib, says many other things are needed to improve the quality of life.

He says people need jobs, better roads, schools, and health clinics.

Burke says it is crucial for the awakening meetings to continue so Sunnis and Shi'ites keep working together and support a central government.  He says this is the way to keep al-Qaida in Iraq in check.

1 awakening   

n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的

参考例句：

• the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
• People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。

2 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。

3 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

4 aligning   

n. (直线)对准 动词align的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• There are signs that the prime minister is aligning himself with the liberals. 有迹象表明首相正在与自由党人结盟。
• ToolTips provide textual hints that assist in drawing lines and aligning objects. 工具提示提供了协助画线和对象对齐的文本提示。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

5 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

6 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。

7 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

8 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

9 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

10 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。

11 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

12 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

13 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。