VOA标准英语2009年-Yemen: 34 al-Qaida Suspects Killed in

Edward Yeranian | Cairo 24 December 2009

"Some scattered¹ cells of al-Qaida in the Arabian peninsula have been monitored closely over recent weeks and it was localized that a meeting at four o'clock early morning today for al-Qaida, they were organizing to attack some oil installations and some foreign and Yemeni interests," said University of Sana'a's Ahmed Abdul-Karim Saif.

Yemeni TV says government forces have killed 34 suspected al-Qaida members in a dawn airstrike on rugged² terrain³ 650-kilometers east of the capital Sana'a.  Security sources say the al-Qaida operatives were meeting when the strike took place.

Yemeni fighter jets struck targets in rugged mountainous terrain in the southern province of Shabwa, according to Yemeni military sources.  It was the second major airstrike against al-Qaida targets by Yemeni warplanes in just a week.

The Yemeni Defense⁴ Ministry's "26 September" website indicated top al-Qaida leaders had planned an early morning rendezvous⁵ to "give their condolences to the victims of last week's air raid" that killed several dozen al-Qaida militants⁶.

Ahmed Abdul-Karim Saif of the University of Sana'a indicated the Yemeni government has been keeping a close watch on al-Qaida activities in recent weeks and decided⁷ to attack:

"Some scattered cells of al-Qaida in the Arabian peninsula have been monitored closely over recent weeks and it was localized that a meeting at four o'clock early morning today for al-Qaida, they were organizing to attack some oil installations and some foreign and Yemeni interests," he said.  "And the Air Force [struck] this meeting [causing] over thirty casualties.  The attacked site was in Rakeb Said in Shabwa governorate.  Most likely the meeting was under the leadership of Nasser Waheeshy, leader of al-Qaida in the Arabian peninsula," he added.

Yemeni military sources indicated Waheeshy was probably killed in the raid, along with other top militants, including Anwar al-Awlaki, the mentor⁸ of alleged⁹ Fort Hood¹⁰ shooter Major Nidal Malik Hassan.  One of the dead militants was also reportedly a former inmate¹¹ at the U.S. Guantanamo Bay prison facility.

Yemeni government TV indicated security forces would "continue to pursue al-Qaida cells."

The TV says military sources are warning citizens not to give shelter, or aid, or help disguise terrorist elements from al-Qaida or to help them with their terrorist operations.  Anyone, it adds, that does so will be punished.  The TV also told citizens to stay away from al-Qaida militants and their hideouts for their own safety during operations to hunt down the terrorists.

Yemen's Deputy Defense Minister Rashad al-Alaimy told the Yemeni parliament Wednesday that "Yemeni security forces carried out [recent] operations using intelligence aid from both the United States and Saudi Arabia."

The U.S. defense department recently indicated that it has given Yemen $70 million in military assistance to battle al-Qaida.  A high-level U.S. military delegation¹² also met with top Yemeni military leaders last month.

Yemen accuses al-Qaida, which it calls the "evil and misguided forces of darkness" of plotting to attack the British Embassy in Sanaa with two carbombs and using suicide bombers¹³ wearing explosive belts.  It also says that al-Qaida is "trying to set up an Islamic Emirate" on the Arabian peninsula.
 

1 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

2 rugged   

adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的

参考例句：

• Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。
• The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。

3 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

4 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。

5 rendezvous   

n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇

参考例句：

• She made the rendezvous with only minutes to spare.她还差几分钟时才来赴约。
• I have a rendezvous with Peter at a restaurant on the harbour.我和彼得在海港的一个餐馆有个约会。

6 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。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

9 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

10 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

11 inmate   

n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人

参考例句：

• I am an inmate of that hospital.我住在那家医院。
• The prisoner is his inmate.那个囚犯和他同住一起。

12 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

13 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》