VOA标准英语2010年-More Afghan Taliban Members Arrested b

Pakistani officials say they have captured at least seven senior members of the Afghan Taliban hiding in Pakistan. The militants¹ are known to have been hiding in the Pakistani city of Quetta near the Afghan border and are  known as members of the "Quetta Shura". The biggest catch was Mullah (Abdul Ghani) Baradar, the Afghan Taliban's top military commander. He was captured in the Pakistani city of Karachi in a joint² operation of U.S. and Pakistani agents. Experts discuss what the arrests mean for Pakistan-US relations and President Obama's new strategy for Afghanistan. 

Pakistan continues its fight against Pakistani Taliban in the northwestern tribal³ areas.

And U.S. drone attacks continue to target hideouts of Afghan Taliban who have crossed into Pakistan. 

 

But in recent weeks, for the first time, Pakistan, with help from US intelligence,  has also arrested several leaders of the Afghan Taliban, members of the so-called "Quetta Shura," including the number two, Mullah (Abdul Ghani) Baradar.

The arrests have been called a major development in the eight-year Afghan war and a possible shift in Pakistan's strategy.

"It's a big success for our mutual⁴ efforts in the region," says White House spokesman Robert Gibbs who spoke⁵ after Mullah Baradar's arrest.

The Obama administration says getting Pakistan to crack down on Afghan militants on its soil is key to winning the war in Afghanistan.

Afghan insurgents⁷ have long enjoyed safe haven⁸ in Pakistan so analysts⁹ have been discussing the reasons behind the arrests. 

"President Obama sent a letter through General [James] Jones to President [Asif Ali] Zardari appealing to the Pakistanis to crack down on the Afghan Taliban and other groups threatening the international community," says Lisa Curtis at the Heritage Foundation. She adds, "If Pakistan does that there will be an enhanced US-Pakistani relationship. The US would do what it could to enhance Pakistan's sense of security in the region."

It's unclear whether Pakistan's crackdown on the Afghan Taliban will continue.

"If that happens, that means the safe haven the Taliban has enjoyed for the last nine years in Pakistan is coming to an end," Bruce Riedel at the Brookings Institution stated. "That is a huge change in the situation."

He notes that most of the Afghan Taliban arrests were made in Karachi, far from the usual hideouts in Quetta, near the Afghan border. "Why did they move to Karachi? The single simplest reason is the Drones. The Drones made operating in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Northwest Frontier Province more hazardous," Riedel said.

"We have also seen in the past Pakistan arresting major al-Qaida leaders like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and yet not fully¹⁰ cracking down on the groups that are fighting the coalition¹¹ forces in Afghanistan. So it is too early to say it denotes a complete shift in Pakistan's strategy, but it certainly is a step in the right direction," Curtis said.

Pakistan's arrests of Afghan Taliban is selective, not a fundamental change in policy, says Ashley Tellis at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "There are still major groups out there, both insurgent⁶ groups and terrorist groups, that have not yet been at the receiving end of the Pakistani state's attention. Lashkar-e-Taiba is one, Jaish-e-Mohammad is another, the (Afghan) Haqqani network is the third," Tellis said.

Analysts say Pakistan's arrest of Afghan Taliban shows that President Obama's new approach to Pakistan could work. 

But they say any change in Pakistan's attitude will be gradual, not a switch that can be turned on in a day.
 

1 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。

2 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

3 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

4 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

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 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

8 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

9 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

10 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

11 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。