2007年VOA标准英语-Disbanded Militant Youth Group in Somalia Suppo

By Alisha Ryu
Mogadishu
05 January 2007

In Somalia, an alleged¹ message from Osama bin² Laden's deputy urging Somalis to launch an Iraq-style guerrilla war against Ethiopian forces there is being taken seriously by a now mostly-disbanded group of militant³ Somali youths known as the Shaabab. In an interview with VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu in Mogadishu, one former Shaabab member warns that he and many of his colleagues are still committed to waging a holy war against Ethiopia.

The audiotaped message, allegedly by al-Qaida's number two leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, appeared Friday on a Web site used by Muslim extremist groups.

The message urged Somalis to use guerrilla tactics, including suicide attacks and roadside bombings, against thousands of Ethiopian troops, backing up interim⁴ government forces, in Somalia.

Many Somalis in the capital interviewed by VOA acknowledged that Ethiopia is still considered an enemy and their presence is creating tension.

But they also lamented⁵ al-Zawahri's call for violence, saying Somalia, which suffered through more than 15 years of factional fighting, does not need any more instability.

But a local hard-line Islamist, who identifies himself only as Hassan, tells VOA that there are many well-trained members of the militant Shaabab group ready to heed⁶ al-Qaida's call.

Hassan, 27, is a former Shaabab member, who fought in recent Islamist battles against Ethiopian and government troops. Shaabab, whose members are believed to number more than 1,000, was organized earlier this year by Adan Hashi Ayro, a top Somali Islamist military commander, who had received terrorist training in Afghanistan.

Hassan says he probably would not volunteer for suicide missions, but he would do all of the other things he was trained to do, such as constructing and planting roadside bombs and launching hit-and-run attacks. He says he and other members of the Shaabab would not stop until all Ethiopians left Somalia.

Hassan disputes Somali Interior Minister Hussein Aideed's contention⁷ that some 3,500 Islamist fighters are still organized and hiding in Mogadishu, waiting to re-start the war.

Hassan says when Islamist leaders, including Ayro, fled the capital on December 28, most Islamist fighters simply went back to their clans⁸. Shaabab members who were not part of Ayro's inner circle, stayed in Mogadishu and effectively self-dissolved.

He says the Shaabab no longer meets and has no weapons. But he says if the remaining members here can find another sponsor like Ayro, they could become a radical⁹ fighting force again very quickly.

For two weeks in late December, Christian-led Ethiopia provided troops and massive firepower in defense¹⁰ of the country's U.N.-backed interim government against Islamist forces.

Several senior Islamist leaders, who are believed to have ties with al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations, were chased out of their strongholds and are now in hiding near Somalia's border with Kenya.

On Friday, Ethiopian and government troops battled at least 600 Islamist militiamen in the area, while U.S. Navy war ships patrolled the coast to keep militants¹¹ from fleeing by sea.

1 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

2 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。

3 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

4 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

5 lamented   

adj.被哀悼的，令人遗憾的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• her late lamented husband 她那令人怀念的已故的丈夫
• We lamented over our bad luck. 我们为自己的不幸而悲伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 heed   

v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心

参考例句：

• You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
• For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。

7 contention   

n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张

参考例句：

• The pay increase is the key point of contention. 加薪是争论的焦点。
• The real bone of contention,as you know,is money.你知道，争论的真正焦点是钱的问题。

8 clans   

宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派

参考例句：

• There are many clans in European countries. 欧洲国家有很多党派。
• The women were the great power among the clans [gentes], as everywhere else. 妇女在克兰〈氏族〉里，乃至一般在任何地方，都有很大的势力。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

9 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

10 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。

11 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。