US, Iraqi Forces Prepare Major Attack on Najaf Insurgents

 

By Laurie Kassman

U.S. and Iraqi forces say they are preparing a major assault against insurgents¹ loyal to radical² Shi'ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in the holy Shi'ite city of Najaf after a week of bloody³ clashes. Iranian journalists have been detained in Baghdad. And Iraqi politician Ahmad Chalabi returns home to defend himself against charges of financial misdeeds.
     
Radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has urged his supporters to keep fighting as U.S. and Iraqi forces prepare a major attack to oust⁴ the so-called Mahdi Army from the holy city of Najaf.

Najaf's police chief says several key figures in the al-Sadr militia⁵ have been arrested and are being interrogated⁶.

The violence has taken its toll⁷ on Najaf. Residents are calling for and end to the bloodshed. They are also complaining about the presence of foreign troops in the holy city.

That sentiment was echoed by interim⁸ Vice⁹ President Ibrahim al-Jaafari who has called on foreign troops to leave Najaf and let Iraqi forces handle the job.

U.S. forces are also battling Mahdi Army fighters in a predominantly Shi'ite slum in Baghdad.

Iraq's top Shi'ite Muslim cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani will not require heart surgery after all, according to a statement issued by his office in Najaf on Wednesday. The cleric, an influential¹⁰ voice of moderation among Iraq's Shi'ite majority, flew to London for medical treatment last Friday, a day after fighting broke out in Najaf between U.S.-led forces and al-Sadr insurgents. Ayatollah Sistani has carefully distanced himself from the radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

A regional leader of Iraq's largest Shi'ite political party, the Supreme¹¹ Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, was shot dead in a drive-by shooting south of Baghdad.

In political developments, former Governing Council member Ahmad Chalabi returns home from a business trip to Iran in order to fight counterfeiting¹² charges brought against him by an Iraqi judge.

And, in Washington, Mr. Chalabi's daughter Tamara told a news conference her father is filing a civil suit against Jordan, which he blames for sullying his reputation. Mr. Chalabi was convicted in absentia in 1992 and sentenced to more than 20 years in jail for bank fraud. A charge he had denied.

"He has been accused in the past of stealing from his own bank, of alerting Saddam Hussein to a coup¹³ attempt, of stealing cars belonging to the interim Iraqi government, to passing U.S. secrets to Iran and now to counterfeiting Iraqi currency. All of these charges are false," she said. "All of these charges come from the Jordanian government who has never forgiven my father for exposing their secret and illegal arms which is for Saddam."

In other news, several journalists working for Iran's state news agency, IRNA, have been detained in Baghdad. No reason for the arrest has been given.

Laurie Kassman, VOA News, Washington.

注释：
assault 袭击
radical 激进的
Shi'ite 什叶派
cleric 牧师
Najaf 纳贾夫（伊斯兰教什叶派圣地）
Iranian 伊朗的
detain 拘留
misdeed 罪行
oust 驱逐
interrogate 审问
presence 参加，在场
interim 临时的
the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq 伊拉克伊斯兰革命最高委员会
counterfeiting 伪造
sully 玷污
convict 宣告……有罪
fraud 欺骗
Jordanian 约旦的，约旦

 

1 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

2 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。

3 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

4 oust   

vt.剥夺，取代，驱逐

参考例句：

• The committee wanted to oust him from the union.委员会想把他从工会中驱逐出去。
• The leaders have been ousted from power by nationalists.这些领导人被民族主义者赶下了台。

5 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

6 interrogated   

v.询问( interrogate的过去式和过去分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询

参考例句：

• He was interrogated by the police for over 12 hours. 他被警察审问了12个多小时。
• Two suspects are now being interrogated in connection with the killing. 与杀人案有关的两名嫌疑犯正在接受审讯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

8 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

9 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

10 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

11 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

12 counterfeiting   

n.伪造v.仿制，造假( counterfeit的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was sent to prison for counterfeiting five-dollar bills. 他因伪造5美元的钞票被捕入狱。 来自辞典例句
• National bureau released securities, certificates with security anti-counterfeiting paper technical standards. 国家质量技术监督局发布了证券、证件用安全性防伪纸张技术标准。 来自互联网

13 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。