VOA标准英语10月-Afghanistan Says International Force Promises to

Afghanistan's defense¹ minister on Sunday said the Pentagon has pledged to take steps to reduce civilian² casualties from aerial attacks against insurgents³ in the country. A strategic review of the war will also be conducted as Afghanistan gets permission to increase the number of its own troops. VOA Correspondent Steve Herman reports from Kabul.
　

Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak speaking at a news conference at Ministry4 of Defense in Kabul, Sunday, 05 Oct. 2008

With domestic and international criticism mounting as the civilian death toll⁵ rises, Afghanistan's defense minister says the United States and other international forces have promised to "do their best" to avoid such casualties from aerial bombings.

Abdul Rahim Wardak spoke⁶ to reporters on the grounds of the Defense Ministry about his recent visit to the Pentagon, where he met his U.S. counterpart and other American officials.

"There has been an understanding to strategically review the conduct of war and other efforts in Afghanistan and also in the region," Wardak said.

Wardak is calling for less emphasis on heavy weaponry, better shared intelligence and greater use of Afghan forces to search for insurgents.

The former Mujahideen commander also announced that the international community has authorized⁷ an increase in the size of the Afghan army to 134,000 troops. There are more than 60,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan.

"There is definitely a need for more boots on the ground based on the present security situation," Wardak said.

The resurgent Taleban, ousted⁸ by U.S.-led forces in 2001, are active in large parts of southern Afghanistan.

Defense Minister Wardak told reporters that the current war against them cannot be won only by military means.

The Sunday Times in London quotes the British commander in Afghanistan as also saying the Taleban cannot be defeated on the battlefield. The newspaper says Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith, in an interview, told the newspaper that a political settlement is the best way to bring an end to the conflict.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has asked the king of Saudi Arabia to mediate⁹ such talks. But a senior Taleban commander has rejected such negotiations¹⁰ with what he termed Afghanistan's "puppet" government.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

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 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

5 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。

6 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。

7 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

8 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

9 mediate   

vi.调解，斡旋；vt.经调解解决；经斡旋促成

参考例句：

• The state must mediate the struggle for water resources.政府必须通过调解来解决对水资源的争夺。
• They may be able to mediate between parties with different interests.他们也许能在不同利益政党之间进行斡旋。

10 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。