VOA常速英语2008年-Turkish Military: At Least 79 Rebels Killed in

By Dorian Jones
Istanbul
23 February 2008

Turkish military officials say seven soldiers and at least 79 Kurdish rebels have been killed since a Turkish ground offensive into northern Iraq began late Thursday. The rebels dispute the claim saying 22 soldiers were killed. Ankara accuses Kurdish Workers Party separatists of using bases in Iraq to launch attacks against government troops in Turkey. Dorian Jones has details from Istanbul.

Turkish ground forces backed by fighter planes and helicopter gun-ships are continuing their operation against bases of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq.

Both sides are making conflicting claims over casualties, but it is impossible to independently verify them because of the mountainous and sparsely¹ populated region where the fighting is taking place.

On Turkish television, coffins² bearing the bodies of Turkish soldiers were shown on the tarmac of an unspecified airport.

The Iraqi government claims the operation is an infringement³ on its territorial⁴ integrity. But Turkish Foreign minister Ali Babacan on Saturday defended the incursion.

He said the only target is the terrorist PKK organization. He said Turkey strongly defends the territorial integrity and political unity⁵ of Iraq.

No official figure has been given on the size of the incursion or its duration, although Turkish media reports claim up to 10,000 soldiers have entered Iraq.

A statement by the Turkish army, released on its web page, criticized the media for exaggerating the number of soldiers involved, claiming it has caused unnecessary international tension. The Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on Friday tried to allay⁶ such concerns.

He said once the military achieves its goal of destroying the PKK's logistical and psychological support, Turkish forces will immediately withdraw.

But pressure is growing on Turkey amid concerns the incursion could destabilize Iraq. U.S Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice advised caution.

"Stability and progress for Iraq is in the interests of Turkey and so everyone should keep in mind that nothing should be done to destabilize what is a fragile, but improving situation in Iraq," she said.

Turkey claims the operation is necessary ahead of an expected spring offensive by the Kurdish rebels. Ankara says up to 3,000 PKK members are using the semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdish enclave as a base to launch attacks against Turkey.

The PKK has been fighting for autonomy in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast since 1984. Last autumn, about 50 Turkish soldiers and civilians⁷ were killed in a spate⁸ of PKK attacks. Until now Turkish operations against the rebels have been largely confined to air strikes, aided by U.S. intelligence.

1 sparsely   

adv.稀疏地；稀少地；不足地；贫乏地

参考例句：

• Relative to the size, the city is sparsely populated. 与其面积相比，这个城市的人口是稀少的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The ground was sparsely covered with grass. 地面上稀疏地覆盖草丛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 coffins   

n.棺材( coffin的名词复数 )；使某人早亡[死，完蛋，垮台等]之物

参考例句：

• The shop was close and hot, and the atmosphere seemed tainted with the smell of coffins. 店堂里相当闷热，空气仿佛被棺木的味儿污染了。 来自辞典例句
• Donate some coffins to the temple, equal to the number of deaths. 到寺庙里，捐赠棺材盒给这些死者吧。 来自电影对白

3 infringement   

n.违反；侵权

参考例句：

• Infringement of this regulation would automatically rule you out of the championship.违背这一规则会被自动取消参加锦标赛的资格。
• The committee ruled that the US ban constituted an infringement of free trade.委员会裁定美国的禁令对自由贸易构成了侵犯

4 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

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 allay   

v.消除，减轻(恐惧、怀疑等)

参考例句：

• The police tried to allay her fears but failed.警察力图减轻她的恐惧，但是没有收到什么效果。
• They are trying to allay public fears about the spread of the disease.他们正竭力减轻公众对这种疾病传播的恐惧。

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。

8 spate   

n.泛滥，洪水，突然的一阵

参考例句：

• Police are investigating a spate of burglaries in the area.警察正在调查这一地区发生的大量盗窃案。
• Refugees crossed the border in full spate.难民大量地越过了边境。