VOA标准英语2009-US Congressional Hearing Examines Military,

The violent and unstable¹ situation in Somalia was the subject of a U.S. congressional hearing on Thursday. Testimony² by officials from Somalia, the United Nations and the African Union, and experts came as the Obama administration confirmed it has decided⁴ to bolster⁵ Somalia's embattled Transitional Federal Government against Islamist forces.
　
Islamist insurgent⁶ fighters near Mogadishu, 1 Jun 2009

With each day bringing further deterioration⁷ in Somalia, including among other things the recent bomb attack that killed the Somali transitional government security minister, Thursday's hearing was timely.

Coinciding with the hearing, the State Department confirmed that the U.S. is providing urgent shipments of weapons and ammunition⁸ to Somalia's Transitional Federal Government, the TFG, to help it avoid a complete takeover by Islamist rebels the U.S. suspects has ties to al-Qaida.

Ted³ Dagne, African Affairs Specialist with the Congressional Research Service, predicted that violence is likely to increase in coming months as the Islamist group al-Shabaab, backed by foreign fighters, attempts to oust⁹ the transitional government. "The primary objective of this offensive is to force the collapse¹⁰ of the TFG (Transitional Federal Government), and to force AMISOM (African Union Mission to Somalia) to leave Somalia," he said.

Al-Shabaab has taken over much of Mogadishu and southern Somalia, and is on a U.S. government list of international terrorist groups.

Dagne says highly de-centralized and mobile al-Shabaab forces threaten the Transitional Federal Government, and noted¹¹ that African Union forces are constrained¹² because they are not authorized¹³ to take offensive action. He said al-Shabaab is supported by more than 400 foreign fighters, and is funded by al-Qaida and certain foreign governments.

Peter Pham, Associate Professor of Justice Studies, Political Science and Africana Studies at James Madison University, says conditions in Somalia threaten security and stability of the Horn of Africa:

"Even without toppling the TFG, al-Shabaab has already achieved a major objective by securing a territorial¹⁴ base from which like-minded militants¹⁵ and terrorists can carry out attacks elsewhere, especially against targets in the Arabian Peninsula as well as participating in the current violence against Somalis," he said.

Representative Donald Payne, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, said further violence can be avoided only if Somalis from all three regions of the country come together: "As we gather today many Somalis continue to be displaced, maimed and killed. The dream and aspirations¹⁶ of millions of Somalis are on hold or crushed," he said.

Of Somalia transitional government and regional officials invited to the hearing, the foreign minister of the Republic of Somaliland declined to attend.

But the President of the Puntland State of Somalia, Abdirahman Mohamed Farole, appealed for foreign assistance to stable areas of the country, saying this would be the best way to prevent extremist groups from expanding areas they control:

"There are limited options for dealing¹⁷ with extremists and terrorist threats in Somalia. The international community must support stable regions, for example Puntland, and offer long-awaited development incentives¹⁸ in order to attract the attention of other Somali regions that see the benefits as counter-weight to joining extremists," he said.

Speaking for the Transitional Federal Government, Idd BedelMohamed,Deputy Permanent Minister of Somalia at the United Nations, read a statement accusing al-Shabaab and some hardliners of rejecting reconciliation¹⁹, and acknowledged that the transitional government faces intensified²⁰ attacks:

"Insurgent groups continue to attack [the] Somali government and AMISOM forces with a new influx²¹ of foreign fighters allied²² and in support of al-Shabaab and its radical²³ agenda. Attacks by radical groups against the combined forces of TFG and AMISOM are becoming more sophisticated, coordinated²⁴ and lethal," he said.

Ugandan Minister of Defense²⁵, Crispus Kiyonga, said the African Union force, composed of 2,590 Ugandan troops 1,600 from Burundi, has so far been able to defend the transitional government's state house, Mogadishu port and airport, but said reinforcements to al-Shabaab have created a difficult situation.

"What we have in Somalia is an extraordinary situation that requires extraordinary means. For the U.N. to keep urging that peace be created first before a U.N. peacekeeping force can be sent continues to deny the Somali people badly-needed international forces to assist in the stabilization²⁶ of that country," he said.

Ngoga Gateretse, Senior Advisor²⁷ to the African Union Special Envoy²⁸ for Somalia, called the situation in Mogadishu grave and said al-Shabaab is trying to force an extreme form of Islam on the Somali people, "This is completely new and shocking to the majority of the Somalis. It is unfortunate that some would use the religious zeal²⁹ of sincere Somalis to prosecute³⁰ what amounts to terrorism and the promotion³¹ of their agenda," he said.

A State Department official did not provide details of military aid going to the U.N.-backed transitional government. However, news reports quoting U.S. officials said it consisted of small arms as well as training which would be conducted outside the country.

1 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

2 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

3 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

4 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。

5 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

6 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

7 deterioration   

n.退化；恶化；变坏

参考例句：

• Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
• The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。

8 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

9 oust   

vt.剥夺，取代，驱逐

参考例句：

• The committee wanted to oust him from the union.委员会想把他从工会中驱逐出去。
• The leaders have been ousted from power by nationalists.这些领导人被民族主义者赶下了台。

10 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

11 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

12 constrained   

adj.束缚的,节制的

参考例句：

• The evidence was so compelling that he felt constrained to accept it. 证据是那样的令人折服，他觉得不得不接受。
• I feel constrained to write and ask for your forgiveness. 我不得不写信请你原谅。

13 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。

14 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。

15 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。

16 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。

17 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

18 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

19 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。

20 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

22 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

23 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。

24 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

25 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。

26 Stabilization   

稳定化

参考例句：

• The position of barycentre on plane directly impacts the stabilization and manipulation of plane. 飞机重心位置直接影响飞机的稳定和操纵特性。
• With the higher olefins, stabilization of the energetic intermediates occurs more easily. 在较高的烯烃情况下，高能的中间物稳定作用更易出现。

27 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

28 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

29 zeal   

n.热心，热情，热忱

参考例句：

• Revolutionary zeal caught them up,and they joined the army.革命热情激励他们，于是他们从军了。
• They worked with great zeal to finish the project.他们热情高涨地工作，以期完成这个项目。

30 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

31 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。