Should the Saudis Fight Terrorism Differently?

 

By Jim Bertel

Muslim militants¹ in Saudi Arabia stormed the heavily fortified² U.S. consulate³ in Jeddah Monday, prompting a gun battle that left twelve dead, including three gunmen. The U.S. consulate says five of its non-American employees were killed, while Saudi security officials say four of its forces died in the clash. VOA's Jim Bertel reports this attack is the latest in a series of recent terrorist plots against foreigners and foreign targets in the kingdom.
 
Monday's attack was swift and violent. The three-hour siege and gun battle came to an end with Saudi security forces regaining⁴ control of the facility.
 
In Washington, U.S. President George W. Bush promised to find out who was behind the attacks.  "The attacks in Saudi Arabia remind us that the terrorists are still on the move,” he said.  “They're interested in affecting the will of free countries. They want us to leave Saudi Arabia. They want us to leave Iraq. They want us to grow timid and weary in the face of their willingness to kill randomly⁵ and kill innocent people."
 
The attack in Jeddah is the first major terrorist strike in Saudi Arabia since May, when Muslim militants attacked and took hostages at the Oasis⁶ housing complex in the eastern city of Khobar.  Twenty-two hostages, mostly foreigners, died when Saudi security forces stormed the complex. 
 
In the past 18 months, violence by Islamist extremists has included bombings, kidnappings and killings⁸. Walter Cutler, a former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, believes al-Qaida is behind the attacks.  "Those who are opposed to American presence in the Gulf⁹ and those who are opposed to the government of Saudi Arabia, the Saudi royal family, for being aligned¹⁰ too closely to the West."
 
These groups also accuse the Saudi royal family of being insufficiently¹¹ Islamic.  The ambassador added, "There are religious, conservative elements who feel that the country should be directed by those who are more conservatively religious than the Saudi royal family."
 
Ambassador Edward Walker of Washington's Middle East Institute says the majority of Saudis do not share this radical¹² view.  "There have been some clerics in Saudi Arabia who have been what I would call irresponsible and they're stimulating¹³ young men to engage in terrorism.  I don't think it's the mainstream¹⁴ at all,” said Ambassador Walker.
 
The Saudis have apparently¹⁵ counted on that. They have combined efforts to hunt down violent extremists with amnesty offers to those who give up. But Monday's attack shows the strategy of killing⁷ or capturing the militants may not be working. And analysts¹⁶ say Saudi Arabia has got to do more to protect foreigners and its own citizens.
 
Jim Bertel, VOA News.
注释：
consulate领事馆
swift 迅速的
find out 查明
willingness自动自发
randomly 随意地, 随便地
Jeddah吉达
Khobar 阿拉伯石油重镇胡拜尔
stimulate刺激, 激励
hunt down 抓获
amnesty特赦(尤指对反政府政治犯的)

1 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。

2 fortified   

adj. 加强的

参考例句：

• He fortified himself against the cold with a hot drink. 他喝了一杯热饮御寒。
• The enemy drew back into a few fortified points. 敌人收缩到几个据点里。

3 consulate   

n.领事馆

参考例句：

• The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。

4 regaining   

复得( regain的现在分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• She was regaining consciousness now, but the fear was coming with her. 现在她正在恢发她的知觉，但是恐怖也就伴随着来了。
• She said briefly, regaining her will with a click. 她干脆地答道，又马上重新振作起精神来。

5 randomly   

adv.随便地，未加计划地

参考例句：

• Within the hot gas chamber, molecules are moving randomly in all directions. 在灼热的气体燃烧室内，分子在各个方向上作无规运动。 来自辞典例句
• Transformed cells are loosely attached, rounded and randomly oriented. 转化细胞则不大贴壁、圆缩并呈杂乱分布。 来自辞典例句

6 oasis   

n.（沙漠中的）绿洲，宜人的地方

参考例句：

• They stopped for the night at an oasis.他们在沙漠中的绿洲停下来过夜。
• The town was an oasis of prosperity in a desert of poverty.该镇是贫穷荒漠中的一块繁荣的“绿洲”。

7 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

8 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

9 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。

10 aligned   

adj.对齐的，均衡的

参考例句：

• Make sure the shelf is aligned with the top of the cupboard.务必使搁架与橱柜顶端对齐。

11 insufficiently   

adv.不够地，不能胜任地

参考例句：

• Your insurance card is insufficiently stamped. 你的保险卡片未贴足印花。 来自辞典例句
• Many of Britain's people are poorly dressed, badly housed, insufficiently nourished. 许多英国人衣着寒伧，居住简陋，营养不良。 来自互联网

12 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

13 stimulating   

adj.有启发性的，能激发人思考的

参考例句：

• shower gel containing plant extracts that have a stimulating effect on the skin 含有对皮肤有益的植物精华的沐浴凝胶
• This is a drug for stimulating nerves. 这是一种兴奋剂。

14 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

15 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

16 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。