VOA标准英语2008年-Suspected US Missile Strike Hits Taliban Comman

Residents in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal¹ area say a suspected U.S. missile strike hit a house and a seminary linked to a top Taliban commander, killing² at least 10 people. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from Islamabad the strike comes as Asif Ali Zardari prepares to be sworn in as Pakistan's president on Tuesday.
　
Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani speaks with a group of newsmen in Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad (File)

Witnesses said the apparent missile strike hit a home of longtime militant³ leader Jalaluddin Haqqani, who U.S. military officials say oversees⁴ one of the deadliest Taliban networks in Afghanistan. Locals said some foreigners were among the dead.

Since the end of August, there have been at least five reported missile strikes against targets in North and South Waziristan as well as a suspected U.S.-led raid on a Pakistani village near the Afghan border.

The reported operations indicate a sharp increase in U.S. and NATO attacks against suspected militants⁵ inside Pakistan, just as the country's new government prepares to replace former President Pervez Musharraf.

Missile strikes have traditionally provoked an outpouring of public resentment⁶ that Musharraf's political opponents used to help drive him from power.

But Pakistan's former ambassador to Afghanistan, Rustam Shah Mohmand, says many of those opponents are now seated in the new government - giving it broader political support and fewer high-profile critics.

"I think the government really is not concerned much about the domestic fallout because there is no leader who would challenge its position or who would rally people around him and launch a country-wide protest. So the coalition⁷ forces, the Americans, are taking full advantage of the situation where there is a sort of vacuum as far as leadership is concerned," he said.

The government has lodged⁸ protests with U.S officials over the strikes, but Mohmand says officials have also reconciled themselves that the missile operations will continue.

Meanwhile, Pakistan's incoming president, Asif Ali Zardari, has reached out to Afghanistan's leader following months of tension between the two countries over the Taliban insurgency⁹.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is expected to be among the invited guests at Mr. Zardari's presidential swearing in ceremony in Islamabad on Tuesday.

 

1 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。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

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 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

5 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。

6 resentment   

n.怨愤，忿恨

参考例句：

• All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

7 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。

8 lodged   

v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属

参考例句：

• The certificate will have to be lodged at the registry. 证书必须存放在登记处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Our neighbours lodged a complaint against us with the police. 我们的邻居向警方控告我们。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网