VOA标准英语2013--US Troops Prepare for Afghan 'Spring Offensive'

 

US Troops Prepare for Afghan 'Spring Offensive'

Their message came in an audio message that announced the start of a monumental spring operation, one aimed at defeating those it described as "western invaders," a reference to U.S.-led allied¹ forces that are in the process of drawing down.

U.S. Defense² Secretary Chuck Hagel, on a visit to Afghanistan in March, noted³ there are challenges ahead as U.S. forces hand over security responsibility to the Afghans.

"That transition has to be done right, it has to be done in partnership⁴ with the Afghans, with our allies," said Hagel.

For the first time, Afghan forces are in the lead this fighting season, with allied forces as backup. That means they are the prime targets for insurgents⁶, who stepped up their attacks dramatically during the winter.  

A report from the respected independent group, the Afghanistan NGO Safety Office, says the number of insurgent⁵ attacks has grown by 47 percent in the past year.  Seventy-four percent of those attacks were on Afghan national security forces and only four percent against international troops.

Jonah Blank, an analyst⁷ with the Rand Corporation, said Taliban fighters have calculated that going after allied forces isn't as effective as targeting Afghan troops.

“The Taliban [is] trying to assert its dominion⁸ or its power over the national security forces and to put some fear into them," he said. "They don't take on ISAF or U.S. troops as much because they get killed when they do that.  There isn't any percentage in it for them now that we have made clear that we will be withdrawing and we will be leaving only a fairly small force when we leave."

The United States is due to pull out most of the 66,000 troops it has in Afghanistan by December 2014, and is still deciding how many it will leave behind.

How Afghan forces do this fighting season may help answer that question. 

1 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。

2 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。

3 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。

4 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

5 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。

6 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

7 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

8 dominion   

n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图

参考例句：

• Alexander held dominion over a vast area.亚历山大曾统治过辽阔的地域。
• In the affluent society,the authorities are hardly forced to justify their dominion.在富裕社会里，当局几乎无需证明其统治之合理。