VOA常速英语2008年-Shi'ite Cleric Extends Cease-Fire with US, Iraq

By Daniel Schearf
Irbil, Iraq
22 February 2008

Iraqi radical¹ Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has extended for another six months a cease-fire between his Mahdi army militia² and U.S. and Iraqi forces. Daniel Schearf reports from the northern Iraqi city of Irbil.

Clerics loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr announced the extended truce³ between his Mahdi army militia and U.S. and Iraqi forces during Friday prayers.

Iraqi government and U.S. military officials immediately welcomed the move, saying the initial six-month truce helped to sharply reduce attacks on Iraqi and U.S. troops, as well as diminish sectarian violence in Iraq.

In a press release Friday the Multi-National Force in Iraq said the extension would foster national reconciliation⁴ and allow coalition⁵ and Iraqi security forces to focus on combating al-Qaida terrorists.

The press release said those who continue to honor al-Sadr's pledge would be treated with respect and restraint, but warned security forces would continue to crack down on criminals who violate the law and dishonor the cease-fire.

On Thursday hundreds of Mahdi militiamen marched through the al-Sadr controlled neighborhood of Baghdad known as Sadr City. The parade marked the fourth anniversary of the Shi'ite uprising against U.S.-led security and honored those militiamen killed by U.S. and Iraqi soldiers.

Al-Sadr spokesman Sheik Jamal al-Sudani addressed the rally. And despite the defiant⁶ tone of the marchers, he made it clear they would not renew fighting.

"We have to think of another way to martyrdom, this time not by attack or assassination⁷ but by a doctrinal stand," he said. "We have to break the thorn of enemies by our millions of prayers in yards and mosques⁸."

Even though the cease-fire has contributed to a sharp decline in attacks across Iraq, there has been a debate among al-Sadr supporters on whether the cease-fire should be extended. Many of them say U.S. and Iraqi troops have used the truce to arrest al-Sadr supporters in southern Iraq, where Shi'ite militias⁹ are competing for influence.

Al-Sadr's militia is one of the most powerful in Iraq and a call for renewed fighting could jeopardize¹⁰ recent improvements in security.

1 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

2 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

3 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

4 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。

5 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。

6 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

7 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

8 mosques   

清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why make us believe that this tunnel runs underneath the mosques? 为什么要让我们相信这条隧洞是在清真寺下？
• The city's three biggest mosques, long fallen into disrepair, have been renovated. 城里最大的三座清真寺，过去年久失修，现在已经修复。

9 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

10 jeopardize   

vt.危及，损害

参考例句：

• Overworking can jeopardize your health.工作过量可能会危及你的健康。
• If you are rude to the boss it may jeopardize your chances of success.如果你对上司无礼，那就可能断送你成功的机会。