2007年VOA标准英语-US Commander: Iraqi Forces Need Help to Control

By Al Pessin
Pentagon
21 September 2007

The commander of coalition¹ forces in Baghdad says there are not enough Iraqi forces in the city to control it without coalition help, but he says the combined U.S. and Iraqi force is making good progress in defeating insurgents² and militias³ who carry out most of the violence in the capital.  VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.

Major General Joseph Fil says in the year he has been leading the coalition's security effort in Baghdad, his forces have brought 54 percent of the city's neighborhoods under control.  He says that figure was just nine percent last November.

But the general acknowledges there is still too much violence in Baghdad, much of it in the 16 percent of neighborhoods where his forces are not operating, and the 30 percent of neighborhoods where his forces are working to clear out insurgents.

General Fil says he tries to move areas from rampant⁴ violence through stages called 'clear' and 'control' into a final Iraqi-led stage called 'retain.'  Currently, only eight percent of the city is in that final stage, and he says there are not enough Iraqi forces to 'retain' the entire city on their own.

"The fundamental question: are the Iraqi security forces sufficient to truly protect the city?  I do not believe they are," he said.

The general says the Iraqi government is working to expand its security forces to fill the gap, but he could not predict when there might be enough Iraqi troops, and violent groups might be weak enough, to allow for full Iraqi control of Baghdad. 

General Fil says one factor in determining the level of violence in Baghdad is the growing effort to get more Iraqi young men to end their support for insurgents and join groups working with the Iraqi government.

"This very important initiative through reconciliation⁵, to bring all of these willing young men who want to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem, is so very important and so very timely," he added.

That type of local reconciliation mirrors similar developments in western Iraq, where tribal⁶ leaders have joined with the coalition to defeat al-Qaida.  The coalition is trying to replicate⁷ that progress in other parts of the country.  General Fil says if the effort succeeds, it will help prevent a deterioration⁸ of security when the U.S. force surge ends next spring and summer.

"I would expect by the time we begin this reduction of security forces from the surge that we'll be well past the time when we needed them to do this expansion," he explained.

Still, for now General Fil says his forces are in a "tough fight" in several parts of Baghdad, and have not yet begun to try and take control of particularly difficult areas like Sadr City.

1 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。

2 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

3 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

4 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。

5 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

6 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

7 replicate   

v.折叠，复制，模写；n.同样的样品；adj.转折的

参考例句：

• The DNA of chromatin must replicate before cell division.染色质DNA在细胞分裂之前必须复制。
• It is also easy to replicate,as the next subsection explains.就像下一个小节详细说明的那样，它还可以被轻易的复制。

8 deterioration   

n.退化；恶化；变坏

参考例句：

• Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
• The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。