VOA标准英语2008年-Pakistan Declares Curfew, Fighting With Militan

Fighting has erupted between Pakistani troops and a Taliban faction¹ located in the Swat valley in the country's northwest. Pakistani forces reported killing² at least 25 militants⁴ on Wednesday and imposed a curfew throughout the valley. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from Islamabad.

Government officials signed a peace agreement in May with militants in Swat to try to end months of fighting that began in late 2007. The deal permitted the implementation⁵ of Islamic law in Swat in exchange for the removal of military forces.

But soon after it was signed, militants resumed burning schools and blowing up barbershops. Last week, Taliban fighters said the government had broken the peace agreement because of the continued presence of Pakistani soldiers and demanded the troops leave. On Tuesday, militants kidnapped at least 25 police officers after killing three government intelligence agents.

On Wednesday, the military retaliated⁶, pursuing fighters with troops, armored vehicles and helicopter gunships.

Iftikhar Hussain, the information minister for the Northwest Frontier Provincial⁷ government, says now there are no plans to meet militant³ demands to withdraw the military.

He says under the agreement we promised to withdraw troops after peace was established. But now there is no justification⁸ for pulling out the army.

Despite the fighting, both militants and local officials in the region say they have not abandoned the peace deal. But Syed Alla-ud-Din, who represents Swat in Pakistan's National Assembly, says there is little chance the region will return to normalcy soon. He also puts some blame for the faltering⁹ deal on the provincial government.

He says the provincial government rushed the negotiations¹⁰ and signed the final agreement in haste. He says there were some militants who were not included in the talks and that is why there have been repeated violations¹¹ of the deal.

The lawmaker says the violence is severely¹² affecting the livelihood¹³ of the many people in Swat whose businesses depend on a steady flow of tourists.

Militants have in fact specifically targeted Swat's tourism industry, in particular the well-known ski resort called Malam Jabba. Last month, part of the hotel at the resort was burned by militants. This week, militants blew up the rest of the building.

"I would say that Malam Jabba was a jewel in the network of tourism in Paksitan. It was among the most favorite and frequented destination for tourists all over the world. I do not know what the militants have gained from destroying this facility," said Amman Ullah, the managing director of the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation.

Ullah vowed¹⁴ the government will rebuild the hotel.

 

 

1 faction   

n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争

参考例句：

• Faction and self-interest appear to be the norm.派系之争和自私自利看来非常普遍。
• I now understood clearly that I was caught between the king and the Bunam's faction.我现在完全明白自己已陷入困境，在国王与布纳姆集团之间左右为难。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 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。

4 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。

5 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

6 retaliated   

v.报复，反击( retaliate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• When he once teased her for her inexperience, she retaliated. 有一次，他讥讽她没有经验，她便反唇相讥。 来自辞典例句
• The terrorists retaliated by killing three policemen. 恐怖分子以杀死三名警察相报复。 来自辞典例句

7 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

8 justification   

n.正当的理由；辩解的理由

参考例句：

• There's no justification for dividing the company into smaller units. 没有理由把公司划分成小单位。
• In the young there is a justification for this feeling. 在年轻人中有这种感觉是有理由的。

9 faltering   

犹豫的，支吾的，蹒跚的

参考例句：

• The economy shows no signs of faltering. 经济没有衰退的迹象。
• I canfeel my legs faltering. 我感到我的腿在颤抖。

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。

11 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

12 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

13 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

14 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。