VOA标准英语2009-Peace Fragile in Pakistan's Northwestern Bun

The infiltration¹ of Taliban militants² into Pakistan's northwestern Buner district, earlier this year, marked the end of a controversial peace deal to allow strict Islamic law in Swat Valley, in return for peace with the militants. The fight to wrest³ control of Buner from the militants was fierce, shattering towns and forcing more than half the population to flee the mountainous region. This VOA correspondent traveled to Buner, under military escort, and found deserted⁴ villages with few signs of security.
　
Military convoy⁵ drives mountain road into heart of Buner district in northwestern Pakistan, 19 June 2009

A helicopter circles the mountains that surround the recently established military headquarters in Daggar in Buner district, a sandbagged structure where Pakistani troops launch fierce battles to flush out Taliban militants.

Improved security

Colonel Naseer Janjua is the acting⁶ commander of the military force in Buner. He says, when the operation began in late April, there were about 1,000 Taliban fighters in Buner. He says about half were killed and the district is now 99 percent secure. The colonel insists normalcy is returning to Buner but, adds the district's infrastructure⁷ has been destroyed, preventing internally displaced people, IDPs, from coming home.

"So far, there is a problem with electricity and that is our major source of concern for IDPs," Janjua said. "That's why they are not retuning in great numbers. But I can tell you, the civil administration and the provincial⁸ government, they are is working around the clock. Ishallah [with God's help], in a week's time, we will have electricity, in a week's time in the whole district of Buner."

Many have fled
　
Military headquarters in Daggar, Buner, 19 June 2009

Officials say about half the population of Buner, 700,000 people, fled the conflict. A journey through the district bears that out. Mosques⁹ stand empty on a Friday, the traditional day of prayer in Pakistan. Only a few trucks and cars travel the roads. Crops have not been harvested. And, white flags dot buildings, signaling that no combatants are present.

Despite repeated assurances from officials that the area is secure, the peace in Buner feels fragile. Outside the military headquarters in Dagger¹⁰, there is little presence of paramilitary troops or police. During the drive into Buner, up a steep and rocky road of hairpin¹¹ twists and turns, no vehicles were stopped and searched.

But Colonel Janjua is adamant¹². He says Buner is safe.

"There are certain areas which have been handed over to the police," Janjua said. "Now they are taking care of it. There are certain areas which we are in the process of giving that area to the police so that they can function there and the system can function."

Battle scars are evident
　
Army tank destroyed by Taliban militants during battle for control of Sultanwas, Buner in northwest Pakistan, 19 June 2009

Some of the most intense fighting in Buner took place in Sultanwas, a strategic village where Taliban fighters repulsed¹³ a local civilian¹⁴ army - known as a "lashkar" - and set up headquarters. Evidence of pitched battles include a large burned-out army tank still sitting on the main road . Directly across from it is large building that was reduced to rubble¹⁵. The army finally called in air strikes and prevailed over the Taliban.

Resident Shabar Khan was trapped in Sultanwas, as the fighting raged on.

Khan says he feels safe now that the military is here. But he says, when the Taliban first infiltrated¹⁶ Sultanwas, the Pakistani police did not do much to protect the population. He worries that, if the police are not willing to assert their authority, the Taliban could return.

Plans for temporary housing

The top civilian administrator¹⁷ of Buner, Yahya Akhandzada, says officials are ready to assist people like Khan with plans to build temporary housing for those whose homes were destroyed. He says other necessary aid is on its way and that the population is ready to come back.

However, he will not rule out the possibility of a future assault by the Taliban.

"It is a fear that they will rise up again and they can create a problem," Akhandzada said. "So, for that purpose, it is our suggestion that the military or paramilitary forces should stay with us in some time, in the background, for a supportive role for certain check posts that are very strategic."

The goal now is to hold Buner. When asked where Taliban fighters who were not killed during the conflict fled to, the military appears unsure, saying only that many were wounded and others have melted away into the districts' mountains.

1 infiltration   

n.渗透；下渗；渗滤；入渗

参考例句：

• The police tried to prevent infiltration by drug traffickers. 警方尽力阻止毒品走私分子的潜入。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A loss in volume will occur if infiltration takes place. 如果发生了渗润作用，水量就会减少。 来自辞典例句

2 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。

3 wrest   

n.扭，拧，猛夺；v.夺取，猛扭，歪曲

参考例句：

• The officer managed to wrest the gun from his grasp.警官最终把枪从他手中夺走了。
• You wrest my words out of their real meaning.你曲解了我话里的真正含义。

4 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

5 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

6 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

7 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。

8 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。

9 mosques   

清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why make us believe that this tunnel runs underneath the mosques? 为什么要让我们相信这条隧洞是在清真寺下？
• The city's three biggest mosques, long fallen into disrepair, have been renovated. 城里最大的三座清真寺，过去年久失修，现在已经修复。

10 dagger   

n.匕首，短剑，剑号

参考例句：

• The bad news is a dagger to his heart.这条坏消息刺痛了他的心。
• The murderer thrust a dagger into her heart.凶手将匕首刺进她的心脏。

11 hairpin   

n.簪,束发夹，夹发针

参考例句：

• She stuck a small flower onto the front of her hairpin.她在发簪的前端粘了一朵小花。
• She has no hairpin because her hair is short.因为她头发短，所以没有束发夹。

12 adamant   

adj.坚硬的，固执的

参考例句：

• We are adamant on the building of a well-off society.在建设小康社会这一点上，我们是坚定不移的。
• Veronica was quite adamant that they should stay on.维罗妮卡坚信他们必须继续留下去。

13 repulsed   

v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 )；驳斥；拒绝

参考例句：

• I was repulsed by the horrible smell. 这种可怕的气味让我恶心。
• At the first brush,the enemy was repulsed. 敌人在第一次交火时就被击退了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

15 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

16 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》

17 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。