US Afghan strategy 'not working'

General Stanley McChrystal will liken the US military to a bull charging at a matador¹ [the Taliban] - slightly weakened with each "cut" it receives.
　　His review is also expected to say that protecting the Afghan people against the Taliban must be the top priority（优先）.
　　But the report will not carry a direct call for increasing troop numbers.
　　The leak came as further results from last week's presidential election were expected to be released, at 1230 GMT. President Hamid Karzai is leading so far.
　　The independent Electoral Complaints Commission says that of more than 2,100 allegations of wrongdoing during voting and vote-counting, 618 have been deemed serious enough to affect the election's outcome, if proven.
　　Crisis of confidenceBBC North America editor Mark Mardell says General McChrystal's bullfighting metaphor² is striking because it is not the usual way that US commanders talk about the country's armed forces.
　　The general's blunt assessment³ will also say that the Afghan people are undergoing a crisis（危机） of confidence because the war against the Taliban has not made their lives better, our correspondent says.
　　General McChrystal says the aim should be for Afghan forces to take the lead but their army will not be ready to do that for three years and it will take much longer for the police.
　　And he will warn that villages have to be taken from the Taliban and held, not merely taken.
　　General McChrystal also wants more engagement with the Taliban fighters and he believes that 60% of the problem would go away if they could be found jobs.
　　Hints on troop numbersMore than 30,000 extra US troops have been sent to Afghanistan since President Barack Obama ordered reinforcements in May - almost doubling his country's contingent⁴ and increasing the Western total to about 100,000.
　　What what we need to do is to correct some of the ways we operated in the pastGeneral Stanley McChrystal(In recent BBC interview)Nato's new approachThis report does not mention increasing troop numbers - that is for another report later in the year - but the hints are all there, our correspondent says.
　　But when General McChrystal's report lands on President Obama's desk he will have to ponder the implications of increasing a commitment to a conflict which opinion polls suggest is losing support among the American people.
　　The latest Washington Post-ABC news poll suggests that only 49% of Americans now think the fight in Afghanistan is worth it.
　　In a recent BBC interview, General McChrystal said that he was changing the whole approach to the conflict in Afghanistan - from what he described as a focus on "body count", to enabling the Afghans to get rid of the Taliban themselves.
　　On Saturday, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown promised more support for UK troops in Afghanistan, during a surprise visit to the country.
　　During the visit he met General McChrystal. Correspondents say the pair discussed the need to speed up the pace of training of Afghan troops.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 matador   

n.斗牛士

参考例句：

• The matador and bull performed wonderfully in the ring.斗牛士和公牛在斗牛场中进行阗精彩的表演。
• The matador had a narrow escape.这个斗牛士真是死里逃生。

2 metaphor   

n.隐喻，暗喻

参考例句：

• Using metaphor,we say that computers have senses and a memory.打个比方，我们可以说计算机有感觉和记忆力。
• In poetry the rose is often a metaphor for love.玫瑰在诗中通常作为爱的象征。

3 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

4 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。