US to Deploy More Troops in Afghanistan

US to Deploy¹ More Troops in Afghanistan

 

Alex Belida

 

Elements of a 2,200-strong Marine² expeditionary unit currently aboard ships in the Gulf³ will be sent into Afghanistan to participate in operations there.

 

General Richard Myers, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint⁴ Chiefs of Staff, says the decision to bolster⁵ the 11,000 troops now in Afghanistan by sending in a Marine contingent⁶ reflects a desire to improve security ahead of planned elections.

 

Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, General Myers says another reason for dispatching the additional force is to assist in efforts to tackle the remaining pockets of Taleban and al-Qaida resistance in the country.

 

General Myers does not say how many Marines from the 2,200-strong force now aboard amphibious vessels⁷ in the Gulf will go ashore⁸, nor will he specify⁹ when they will arrive or how long they will stay.

 

But Defense¹⁰ Secretary Donald Rumsfeld tells reporters at the same briefing the effort to eliminate al-Qaida is going well.

 

"It's going well. There's just no question but that added pressure is being put al-Qaida network in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere around the world and that's a good thing."

 

However Mr. Rumsfeld declines to say whether U.S. forces are any closer to capturing fugitive¹¹ al-Qaida leader Osama bin¹² Laden¹³.

 

U.S. forces in Afghanistan have stepped up anti-Taleban and anti-al-Qaida operations in the mountainous border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan as part of Operation Mountain Storm.

 

The Marine unit now head to Afghanistan has been trained for special operations missions. The Marines are backed by attack helicopters and Harrier fighter jets.

 

注释:

Marine [mE5ri:n] adj. 海军的

expeditionary unit  远征部队

Gulf [^Qlf] n. 海湾

Afghanistan [Af5^AnistAn] n. 阿富汗，位于亚洲中部偏西南的内陆国家。

general [5dVenErEl] n. 将军

bolster [5bEulstE] v. 支持

contingent [kEn5tindVEnt] n. 分遣队

Pentagon [5pentE^En] n. 五角大楼

dispatch [dis5pAtF] vt. 分派，派遣

tackle [5tAkl] vt. 处理，解决

Taleban 塔利班，阿富汗的武装集团，其全称为“阿富汗伊斯兰学生运动组织”。

al-Qaida 基地组织

amphibious [Am5fibiEs] adj. 水陆两用的

ashore [E5FC:] adv. 上岸，登陆

decline [di5klain] v. 拒绝，婉拒

capturing [5kAptFEriN] adj. 正在追捕的

fugitive [5fju:dVitiv] adj. 逃亡的

operation [7CpE5reiFEn] n. 军事行动

helicopter [5helikCptE] n. 直升机

Harrier fighter jets  英国“鹞”(hamer)式战斗机，世界上第一种实用的垂直/短距起落飞机。

 

1 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

2 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

3 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

4 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

5 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

6 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。

7 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 ashore   

adv.在(向)岸上，上岸

参考例句：

• The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前，孩子们就上岸了。
• He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。

9 specify   

vt.指定，详细说明

参考例句：

• We should specify a time and a place for the meeting.我们应指定会议的时间和地点。
• Please specify what you will do.请你详述一下你将做什么。

10 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。

11 fugitive   

adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者

参考例句：

• The police were able to deduce where the fugitive was hiding.警方成功地推断出那逃亡者躲藏的地方。
• The fugitive is believed to be headed for the border.逃犯被认为在向国境线逃窜。

12 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

13 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。