-
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Washington
11 May 2007
The U.S. commander in northern Iraq says he does not have enough manpower to secure the increasingly violent Diyala province. Major General Benjamin Mixon made the remarks to reporters at the Pentagon by videoconference from Iraq. VOA correspondent Meredith Buel has details from Washington.
General Mixon commands the area of Iraq that includes Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad.
Diyala is a large, ethnically2 mixed region that has experienced some of the worst violence since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
Mixon says the province is a focus for al-Qaida terrorists and contains a large number of Sunni insurgents3 that receive support from the local population.
The general says he needs more troops to secure the area.
ongoing4 security operations in Iraq, 9 Mar1 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070605/1046140.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" /> |
Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon (l) and U.S. Army Col. Trogdon speak with Pentagon reporters via satellite, providing an update on ongoing security operations in Iraq, 9 Mar 2007 |
The general says he currently has about 3,500 U.S. troops in Diyala province, with about 10,000 Iraqi soldiers and several thousand Iraqi police.
Mixon says Diyala's government is so ineffective at providing services that it could be described as nonfunctioning.
The general says ministries5 in Baghdad are to blame because they are to slow to provide support to provincial6 governors and Iraqi security services.
"After nearly eight months on the ground I am concerned about the overall progress of our Iraqi security forces and the governmental processes," he added. "Progress is being made in selected areas, although slow. At times we have episodic setbacks and unnecessary roadblocks to security and governance, but we continue to move forward."
President Bush has ordered nearly 30,000 additional troops to Iraq, primarily to help calm sectarian violence in Baghdad.
General Mixon says insurgents, facing the crackdown in the Iraqi capital, have migrated to Diyala and other provinces.
The general says providing security and improving local government services are critical components7 for defeating the insurgency8.
"The most important and difficult task we have is to improve the Iraqi government capacity, particularly at the provincial level," he explained. "That will lead the people to have confidence in their government. The confidence of the people in that government will enhance our security operations and enable us to ultimately defeat this enemy."
General Mixon says showing Iraqis that their government can provide for them "will be the most powerful weapon against the insurgency."
1 mar | |
vt.破坏,毁坏,弄糟 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2 ethnically | |
adv.人种上,民族上 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3 insurgents | |
n.起义,暴动,造反( insurgent的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4 ongoing | |
adj.进行中的,前进的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5 ministries | |
(政府的)部( ministry的名词复数 ); 神职; 牧师职位; 神职任期 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6 provincial | |
adj.省的,地方的;n.外省人,乡下人 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7 components | |
(机器、设备等的)构成要素,零件,成分; 成分( component的名词复数 ); [物理化学]组分; [数学]分量; (混合物的)组成部分 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8 insurgency | |
n.起义;暴动;叛变 | |
参考例句: |
|
|