2006年VOA标准英语-US Officials Downplay Taleban Resurgence in Afg

By Stephanie Ho
Washington
10 September 2006

U.S. and Afghan officials acknowledge that Taleban forces are posing serious challenges to security in Afghanistan. But they add that, although Taleban fighters are fueling some of the country's worst violence in recent years, the insurgents¹ are no match for NATO and Afghan troops.

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US soldiers in armoured vehicle secure site of suicide car bomb blast, in Kabul, Sept, 8, 2006  
  
As the United States looks to mark the fifth anniversary of the September 11th, 2001, terrorist attacks, one country that has come under renewed scrutiny² is Afghanistan.

In 2001, the Taleban regime ruled Afghanistan with an iron grip and backed Osama bin³ Laden⁴, whose al-Qaida terrorist network masterminded the September 11 attacks.

Shortly afterwards, U.S.-led troops helped overthrow⁵ the Taleban, and in the more than four years that followed, Afghanistan made progress toward setting up a new government. The president, Hamid Karzai, and the 351-seat parliament are democratically-elected. The country also has a new constitution.

 
Dick Cheney after appearing on Meet the Press, Sept. 10, 2006, in Washington  
  
On the NBC television program Meet the Press, Vice⁶ President Dick Cheney said toppling the Taleban regime also threw the al-Qaida terrorism network into disarray⁷.

"Afghanistan was governed by the Taleban, one of the worst regimes in modern times, terribly dictatorial⁸, terribly discriminatory towards women," he said. "There were training camps in Afghanistan, training thousands of al-Qaida terrorists. All those training camps today are shut down."

But in recent months, Taleban fighters have reappeared in Afghanistan, in force.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Fox News Sunday she is not surprised they are fighting back.

"Of course they're going to fight back, even if they're on the ropes, they're going to fight back," she said. "And yes, they came back somewhat more organized and somewhat more capable than people would have expected. But that's why they're being beaten back by the NATO forces that are there."
 

Coalition⁹ troops in Kandahar  
  
At the end of July, U.S.-led coalition troops formally handed over control of international military activities in Afghanistan to NATO.

The top NATO commander, U.S. General James Jones last week visited Kabul and said he did not expect what he called the "level of intensity¹⁰" of Taleban attacks since the handover.

On Sunday, a suicide bomber¹¹ killed three people in eastern Paktia province, including the provincial¹² governor. Also on Sunday, NATO said its and Afghan troops killed 94 Taleban fighters in southern Kandahar province overnight.

Afghanistan's ambassador to the United States, Said Jawad, told CNN's Late Edition program the Taleban resurgence¹³ is significant, but will not derail the country from the process of recovery.

"They [Taleban] are making a serious comeback," he said. "They are a serious security challenge for us right now, but the political process, the reconstruction¹⁴ process, is way advanced by now."

Meanwhile, a debate continues in the United States over the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden, who is believed to be hiding in the rugged¹⁵, mountainous region along the Afghan-Pakistani border. A front page article in Sunday's Washington Post newspaper said for U.S. officials, the bin Laden trail is "stone cold". Both Rice and Cheney disputed this article, saying the United States is still serious about finding and capturing bin Laden.

1 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

2 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

3 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

4 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

5 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

6 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

7 disarray   

n.混乱，紊乱，凌乱

参考例句：

• His personal life fell into disarray when his wife left him.妻子离去后，他的个人生活一片混乱。
• Our plans were thrown into disarray by the rail strike.铁路罢工打乱了我们的计划。

8 dictatorial   

adj. 独裁的，专断的

参考例句：

• Her father is very dictatorial.她父亲很专横。
• For years the nation had been under the heel of a dictatorial regime.多年来这个国家一直在独裁政权的铁蹄下。

9 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。

10 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

11 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

12 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

13 resurgence   

n.再起，复活，再现

参考例句：

• A resurgence of his grief swept over Nim.悲痛又涌上了尼姆的心头。
• Police say drugs traffickers are behind the resurgence of violence.警方说毒贩是暴力活动重新抬头的罪魁祸首。

14 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

15 rugged   

adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的

参考例句：

• Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。
• The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。