VOA标准英语2013--Battles for Aleppo Loom on Syria's Northern Front

 

Battles for Aleppo Loom¹ on Syria's Northern Front

 

Khan al Assal, off Highway 5, eight kilometers southwest of Aleppo - Syria's commercial hub besieged² by war.

There has been fierce fighting for control of this strategic town. Islamist rebel fighters navigate³ the ground through holes they've picked in garden walls. They don't know where the government sniping positions are, and which paths are safe to walk down.

Khan al Assal was once a pleasure retreat for Aleppo's business elite⁴, but after weeks of fighting much of the town is in ruins.

Hardline Islamist fighters have occupied palaces, which they said were previously⁵ in the hands of Alawite pro-government militias⁶, the Shabiha.

They say graffiti of government forces and their playing cards litter the rooms.

"These belong to the regime, these are their cards. God is the greatest," one fighter said.

Rebels watch for movement in the government lines, occasionally firing their sniper rifles at nothing in particular. State media said this week government forces eliminated "terrorists" in nearby farms.

Rebel commander Colonel Abu Bakr says control of Khan al Assal is a stepping stone towards Aleppo's military academy. He predicts victory.

"When Khan al Assal falls, the next step will be the military academy which is the biggest base in the city of Aleppo. It's where the regime helicopters refuel and it's also their operations center. It's considered as the last main base in the city of Aleppo for the regime," Bakr said.

On the roads west of Aleppo, international Jihadists from Russia, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are visible.

Witnesses say that at a nearby theme park, Magic World, Islamists had cut the heads off of the statues, which some conservative Muslims consider idolatrous.

Commander Abu Bakr was asked about their presence.

"I don't want to talk about that," Bakr said.

Later, the colonel said that Jihadists were coming to Syria because Western governments hadn't provided enough military aid.

As battles for Aleppo loom, the U.S. is considering the possibility of sending weapons to non-jihadist rebel groups. 

1 loom   

n.织布机，织机；v.隐现，(危险、忧虑等)迫近

参考例句：

• The old woman was weaving on her loom.那位老太太正在织布机上织布。
• The shuttle flies back and forth on the loom.织布机上梭子来回飞动。

2 besieged   

包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Paris was besieged for four months and forced to surrender. 巴黎被围困了四个月后被迫投降。
• The community besieged the newspaper with letters about its recent editorial. 公众纷纷来信对报社新近发表的社论提出诘问，弄得报社应接不暇。

3 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

4 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

5 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

6 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