VOA标准英语2010年-British Support for Fight in Afghanist

British soldiers from Somme Company providing security as Afghan National Army troops search compounds near the town of Sayedebad, Afghanistan, on day three of their operation named TOR SHEZADA, 1 Aug 2010

Opinion polls indicate support in Britain for the war in Afghanistan is falling as the public grows skeptical¹ of the government's justification² for the conflict.  A total of 15 British servicemen were killed in July.

 

Under the cover of darkness, a fleet of Chinook helicopters ferries British troops from their base in southern Afghanistan into the heart of Taliban territory.

This is Operation Tor Shazada, the biggest offensive of the summer for British troops.  They are joined by hundreds of Afghan soldiers, trying to clear insurgents³ from the town of Sayedebad in Helmand Province. 

Coalition⁴ forces say it is a stronghold for the Taliban, where they make many of the Improvised⁵ Explosive Devices that are a daily hazard for troops and local Afghans.  Captain Brad Pino is the British Platoon Commander.

 

"The guys are building up positions now just in case the insurgents do decide to attack," said Pino.  "We are preparing stores such as rations⁶ and water so we can keep ourselves sustained and then it will just be patrolling out from the area to see if we can mix with the locals and find the insurgents."

British commanders say this Operation is making good progress, but in Afghanistan as a whole it has been a tough month, and in Britain public opinion-polls indicate public support is falling.  Fifteen British servicemen were killed in July. 

On a recent trip to India, British Prime Minister David Cameron justified⁷ the Afghan war by saying the troops are keeping Britain safe from terrorism.

But Professor Malcolm Chalmers of the Royal United Services Institute says the public is not buying the prime minister's reasoning.

"Both this and the previous government made this 'chain of terror' argument where we have to be in Afghanistan to prevent al-Qaida moving from Pakistan back into Afghanistan because that may prevent future terrorist attacks on the streets of London.  That is a complicated and several-staged argument that is not believable by most people in this country," noted⁸ Chalmers.

In the southern province of Uruzgan the 2,000-troop Dutch contingent⁹ is packing up and pulling out, after the coalition government in the Netherlands collapsed¹⁰ following a long-running dispute over the deployment¹¹.  Canadian troops will begin withdrawing next year.

Brigadier General Josef Blotz, a spokesman for the NATO force in Afghanistan, known as ISAF, insists the coalition is holding together.

"The overall forces posture¹² of ISAF and of the Afghan security forces as well is increasing, so we do have the necessary force posture," said Blotz.

Even if troop numbers hold up, Chalmers says future public support for the mission depends on progress.

"If we get to the summer of 2011 and people do not feel that we have made real progress, then I do not think there is an appetite here - or an appetite in the U.S. - to say, 'Well let us have another go and another go.'  And just like in Vietnam you can then get a very rapid erosion of public confidence," added Chalmers.

Analysts¹³ say it will take major progress against terrorism in Afghanistan to counter the weight of public opinion in Britain and other NATO countries that this is an unwinnable war.

 

1 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

2 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。

3 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

4 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。

5 improvised   

a.即席而作的,即兴的

参考例句：

• He improvised a song about the football team's victory. 他即席创作了一首足球队胜利之歌。
• We improvised a tent out of two blankets and some long poles. 我们用两条毛毯和几根长竿搭成一个临时帐蓬。

6 rations   

定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量

参考例句：

• They are provisioned with seven days' rations. 他们得到了7天的给养。
• The soldiers complained that they were getting short rations. 士兵们抱怨他们得到的配给不够数。

7 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

8 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。

9 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

10 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

11 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

12 posture   

n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势

参考例句：

• The government adopted an uncompromising posture on the issue of independence.政府在独立这一问题上采取了毫不妥协的态度。
• He tore off his coat and assumed a fighting posture.他脱掉上衣，摆出一副打架的架势。

13 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。