美国有线新闻 CNN 摩苏尔收复战推进顺利 大量平民逃离家园

 

First today, we're taking you to the Middle East. The northern part of Iraq is where you'll find the city of Mosul. On one side of the ongoing¹ battle for it, ISIS terrorists who took over Mosul when the Iraqi army fled in 2014. On the other side, Iraqi troops who were fighting to get it back, along with the help of U.S. and other international forces.

Mosul fell to ISIS in just four days. The battle to force ISIS out has been going on since October. The terrorists have dug tunnels. They've set traps. They've rigged cars with explosives. The Iraqi-led troops have heavy weapons, tens of thousands more fighters and the support of U.S. air power.

The civilians² trapped in between had been fleeing from the city in record numbers since the fighting began. The United Nations says 4,000 people a day have been displaced by the battle since February 19th. It's not known how much of Mosul will be habitable when the fight for it ends. But as that end approaches, Ben Wedeman examines why this one city is so significant to both ISIS and Iraq.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The one thing you need to know about the fight for Mosul is that this battle could decide the fate of ISIS.

The extremists seized control of Mosul, Iraq's second largest city in June 2014. What followed was a series of lightning conquest in Iraq and Syria that brought ISIS to the attention of the world. It was in Mosul that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared his so-called caliphate. His supporters favored slogan was that the Islamic State is here to stay and will spread.

Well, what a difference two and a half years make. The tide has turned. Iraqi forces have seized one city after another. They've already taken control of the eastern part of Mosul and are now pressing ahead in the west.

The area controlled by Baghdadi's so-called caliphate is steadily³ shrinking. The caliphate's appeal is dimming. ISIS no longer puts out slick propaganda videos crowing about the good life in Mosul.

The war to destroy ISIS, however, is far from over. The group still controls pockets in Iraq and large parts of Syria, and its hardcore supporters are likely to fight to the death.

But the loss of Mosul, the largest city, once under ISIS control, will be a deadly blow.

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

3 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。