VOA标准英语2011--With President Absent, Yemen Battles Isl

With President Absent, Yemen Battles Islamist Militants²

Yemeni officials say government forces have killed 12 people suspected of links to al-Qaida as they battle to regain³ territory lost to Islamist militants in the south of the country. This comes as a leading American newspaper says the U.S. has stepped up air attacks on suspected extremists during Yemen's political unrest.
The report of increased U.S. military strikes was welcomed by some in Yemen, who have feared the growing influence of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and other militant¹ Islamist groups.
The New York Times, quoting unidentified U.S. officials, said Washington resumed the air strikes in recent weeks, fearing Yemen's leadership crisis would allow militants to make headway.
Yemeni journalist and political analyst⁴ Nasser Arrabyee says, with President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Saudi Arabia for treatment of wounds from an attack last Friday, the timing⁵ makes sense, especially in the south.
"It is getting worse there because Abyan, in particular, and Jahar, in more particular, is the stronghold of the jihadists," he said. "And what happens in Zinjibar is they declared it the second Islamic emirate after Jahar. Al-Qaida now is exploiting the unrest in the country - in the whole country, not only in the south. And what is happening now is that they are making some gains."
Arrabyee argues that now is a good time to strike these forces, whether by the Yemeni government or the United States.
Yemen's defense⁶ ministry⁷ said Thursday that its forces had killed 12 militants in these southern areas although, in the past, it has overstated its claims as the government tried to prove itself a strong counter-terrorist ally.
Arrabyee says he is inclined to believe the latest report.
"It's difficult to say how many, but it is sure that dozens were killed from both sides," he said. "This is very possible because there was very fierce fighting over the last two days."
The jihadist offensive comes against a backdrop of anti-government political protests which began four months ago. The calls for President Saleh's ouster turned violent in recent weeks, as tribal⁸ opponents of the government and other armed groups joined the fray⁹.
In the capital, Sana'a, an uneasy truce¹⁰ is holding between forces of the al-Ahmar clan¹¹ and the government. But pressure continues to build for the interim¹² government to move beyond Saleh's presidency¹³ and form a transitional council.
Protester Tareq Saeed was among the demonstrators out in force Thursday.
Saeed rejected reports from Saudi and Yemeni officials that Saleh's condition is improving, saying the demonstrators don't care. He said the most important point is that the president has left the country and "is finished," as he put it. Now, he added, is the time to look to building a new future.
But the political reforms envisioned by the protesters would seem unattainable as long as al-Qaida and other jihadists continue to expand their influence. U.S. officials have spoken of the imperative¹⁴ of battling the militants.
So far, the success of the reported stepped-up campaign of air strikes is unclear. A U.S. drone attack last month targeted the Yemeni-American al-Qaida leader Anwar al-Awlaki, but missed, while The New York Times says another U.S. airstrike last Friday killed a mid-level al-Qaida operative in southern Yemen.

1 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。

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 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。

4 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

5 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

6 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。

7 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

8 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。

9 fray   

v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗

参考例句：

• Why should you get involved in their fray?你为什么要介入他们的争吵呢？
• Tempers began to fray in the hot weather.大热天脾气烦燥。

10 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

11 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

12 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。

13 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

14 imperative   

n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的

参考例句：

• He always speaks in an imperative tone of voice.他老是用命令的口吻讲话。
• The events of the past few days make it imperative for her to act.过去这几天发生的事迫使她不得不立即行动。