2006年VOA标准英语-More Than 30 Suspected Insurgents Captured

By Al Pessin
Pentagon
16 March 2006
 
U.S. and Iraqi forces captured more than 30 suspected insurgents² and found at least six major caches of weapons near the town of Samarra on Thursday, during the first day of what the U.S. military says is the largest air assault operation since the early weeks of the war. A military spokesman says more than half the troops were Iraqi, bringing the combat operations of the new Iraqi Army to a new level.

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Iraqi and U.S. soldiers exit a CH-47 Chinook helicopter in support of Operation Swarmer, near Samarra
  

A spokesman for the U.S. 101st Airborne Division says troops found artillery⁴ shells, explosives and material for making the insurgency⁵'s deadliest weapons - roadside bombs. Major Tom Bryant says the troops also found instruction manuals for how to make the bombs, as well as medical supplies and military uniforms that insurgents could have used to gain access to restricted areas.

The major says the troops went into the area on U.S. helicopters with gunships in support, but no airborne weapons were fired. Major Bryant says the operation brought cooperation between U.S. and Iraqi forces to a new level.

"Conducting a combined air assault operation is a very complex, difficult thing to do, and they have performed extremely well," said Major Bryant. "The Iraqi Army soldiers were inside the same aircraft, side-by-side with our troops as they assaulted the objectives. Basically, we landed the aircraft right near a number of the objective areas, quickly exited the aircraft and secured the areas. So they performed the exact same role in the air assault as our troops did."

U.S. helicopters take off from a Forward Operating Base Remagen for Operation Swarmer   
  
Major Bryant says about 800 of the 1,500 troops involved in the assault were Iraqi. He says the operation is expected to continue for several days.

The target area is northeast of Samarra, where insurgents destroyed a famous Shi'ite mosque⁶ last month, sparking a series of violent incidents in several parts of Iraq that some observers believe pushed the country close to civil war.

But Major Bryant says Thursday's operation was not directly related to such concerns.

"The local leaders stepped up across the province immediately after that mosque bombing occurred, spoke³ to their fellow-citizens, called for calm and peace, and asked the citizens of Salah a-Din to not fall prey⁷ to the easy option of starting a big fight," he said. "And we did not see a big increase in violence in this province."

In an interview with CNN television, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said insurgents were trying to establish a center of operations in the area, like they had in Fallujah in 2004. It took a large and bloody⁸ coalition⁹ operation late that year to push the insurgents out of that stronghold. The foreign minister said the insurgents cannot be allowed to establish such a stronghold again.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan says this operation is just one of a series of offensives aimed at defeating the insurgency.

"There have been a number of operations that have been undertaken over the course of the last several months to really go after the terrorists, and the Saddam loyalists, who want to return to the past of oppression and tyranny," said Scott McClellan. "So this operation is part of our ongoing¹⁰ efforts to move forward on the security front."

This offensive, code-named Operation Swarmer, follows a smaller effort west of Samarra earlier this month, that also yielded large caches of insurgent¹ weapons and equipment.

Scott McClellan says the increase in civil strife¹¹ has made the situation in Iraq more difficult, but he said this operation was not significant enough to require approval by President Bush.

"It's important that the commanders have the flexibility¹² to make these type of tactical decisions in order to prevail," he noted¹³. "And we're making a lot of important progress on the ground in Iraq. But this is a difficult time period."

The White House spokesman says President Bush was briefed on the operation on Thursday, not long after it was launched.

1 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

2 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

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

5 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

6 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

7 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

8 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。

9 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

10 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。

11 strife   

n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争

参考例句：

• We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。
• Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。

12 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

13 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。