2007年VOA标准英语-US General Warns Against Early Withdrawal from

By Al Pessin
Pentagon
25 June 2007

A senior American officer involved in training Iraq's new security forces is warning against putting too much responsibility on those forces too quickly, as pressure grows in the United States for the start of a withdrawal¹ of U.S. troops. The officer spoke² from Baghdad to reporters at the Pentagon Monday and VOA's Al Pessin reports.

Brigadier General Dana Pittard

As coalition³ forces move to clear insurgent⁴ strongholds like Diyala Province, north of Baghdad, as part of the new 10-day old offensive, the plan is for Iraqi forces to take over and maintain security in those areas. But as he nears the end of a year-long assignment running a training program for the Iraqi Army and police, Brigadier General Dana Pittard issued this warning on Monday.

"It will take time, and we've really got to be careful," the general said.

General Pittard, who was an operational commander in Diyala two years ago, says he was saddened during a visit the provincial⁵ capital Baquba, early Monday, when he saw many of the development projects he worked on lying in shambles⁶.

He says that happened, and the province became an insurgent stronghold again, because coalition commanders moved too quickly to withdraw their own forces at the beginning of last year and handed security responsibility to the new, and unprepared, Iraqi forces. The result, he said, is nearly 10,000 U.S. forces are back in the province, working with the Iraqi Army to regain⁷ control.

"The lesson learned is, do not move our force structure down too quickly," he said. "Do not draw down too quickly when we think there is a glimmer⁸ of success. It will take time. It will take time for the Iraqi security forces to be able to take over from our forces."

Still, General Pittard says the Iraqi forces will eventually be able to take control, if they are given the time to develop the skills, leadership and logistical infrastructure⁹ they need. He says that could take "a couple of years" in some areas like Diyala. But he says in many parts of the country Iraqi forces should be able to take responsibility by next spring, as a more senior American general indicated last week.

"Oh, it is realistic in many areas in Iraq," the general said. "But in Diyala Province, the way it is right now it will take some time. It will take a coalition force presence there, partnered with the fifth Iraqi Army division and the Iraqi police to provide lasting¹⁰ stability so that the provincial government can then take control."

General Pittard noted¹¹, in particular, progress in the Iraqi National Police, which was heavily infiltrated¹² by militia¹³ elements. He says a new national commander replaced several key officers, and entire units were taken out of their stations for a month-long retraining program.

The general says the Iraqi Army is also improving, and has shown a willingness to fight that was not always present in the past. The army has had more training than the police force, but General Pittard says even the army needs "years" to build its capabilities¹⁴ and leadership.

Even next spring is longer than many Americans and members of congress want to wait before starting to withdraw some of the 155,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. The congress is demanding a progress report on the new Iraq security plan by September, and many members want a U.S. troop withdrawal to begin shortly afterward¹⁵. General Pittard appealed for patience.

1 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 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。

4 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。

5 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。

6 shambles   

n.混乱之处；废墟

参考例句：

• My room is a shambles.我房间里乱七八糟。
• The fighting reduced the city to a shambles.这场战斗使这座城市成了一片废墟。

7 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

8 glimmer   

v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光

参考例句：

• I looked at her and felt a glimmer of hope.我注视她，感到了一线希望。
• A glimmer of amusement showed in her eyes.她的眼中露出一丝笑意。

9 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

10 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

11 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。

12 infiltrated   

adj.[医]浸润的v.（使）渗透，（指思想）渗入人的心中( infiltrate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The headquarters had been infiltrated by enemy spies. 总部混入了敌方特务。
• Many Chinese idioms have infiltrated into the Japanese language. 许多中国成语浸透到日语中。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

13 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

14 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

15 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。