2006年VOA标准英语-Local US Commander in Iraq Sees Fewer US T

By Al Pessin
Washington
23 March 2006

A senior U.S. officer in charge of security in three provinces south of Baghdad has told VOA Iraqi forces are becoming so competent that he believes fewer U.S. troops will be needed in the area by the end of the year. Senior officials say it is that type of local progress that will result in broader U.S. troop reductions, but they have refused to put a timeframe on the plan.

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From his forward operating base south of Baghdad, Colonel John Tully recently coordinated¹ security for the Islamic holiday of Arba'een in and around the Shiite holy city of Karbala. "We did very extensive preparation for the event, planning with the Iraqi security forces, the provincial² governors and the provincial police chiefs, as well as the Iraqi National Police, to lay out the very extensive security plan, of which the lion's share was all performed by the Iraqi security forces. And the coalition³ forces, basically, were in a support role," he said.

 

Iraqi pilgrims in Karbala   
  

The result, Colonel Tully reports, was a holiday with no deaths from insurgent⁴ attacks or sectarian violence in his area, and only some minor⁵ injuries from a few incidents, even though thousands of people followed tradition and walked long distances to the shrine⁶ in Karbala.

He says that experience, and other work he has been doing with the Iraqi security forces since he took command of coalition troops in Karbala, Najaf and Babil Provinces in January, lead him to believe that by the end of his assignment he, or his successor, will need fewer troops. "I'd say by the time I'm ready to go back to Texas at the end of the year that the Iraqi Army is going to have the lead for any kind of counter-insurgency operations in the three provinces that I'm in, and I'll be in a support role for them. Clearly, as the Iraqi Army takes over the lead for any kind of counter-insurgency operations I won't need a complete battalion⁷ to work in an area. What I need is just a smaller team. So without a doubt it translates into less troops on the ground, less U.S. troops," he said.

 
Col. John Tully 
  
Specifically, Colonel Tully says many Iraqi Army troops are busy handling checkpoints and are not available for larger, more aggressive counter-insurgency operations. He says as the Iraqi police finish their training and begin to gain experience they will take over duties like checkpoints, freeing the soldiers to do more of the work an army should do.

Senior officials have said it is that kind of progress that will eventually result in a reduction in the U.S. military presence in Iraq. The commander of all coalition forces in the country, General George Casey, is scheduled to make his next recommendations on U.S. troop strength by June -- recommendations that will affect troop levels next year. It will be reports from local commanders like Colonel Tully that will provide much of the input⁸ for those recommendations, which will go to Defense⁹ Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and President Bush for a final decision.

But even with the reduction he expects, Colonel Tully says some U.S. troops will still be needed in his area next year. "The biggest challenge to the Iraqi army here in the near term is on logistics. The focus has been on manning and equipping the army. And the next step that we're all working on is getting their logistics systems in place so they can sustain themselves," he said.

He says those logistical concerns include everything from providing food for the troops to ensuring that their vehicles have fuel. Colonel Tully says he believes the Iraqi Army can take care of such issues by using Iraqi civilian¹⁰ contractors¹¹, but he says it will take time to put such a system in place. In addition, the colonel points out that U.S. forces will be needed to provide capabilities¹² that the Iraqi Army does not have, and will not have for some time to come. That would include air support, field artillery¹³ and other specialized¹⁴ or high technology capabilities.

Colonel Tully acknowledges that his area of Iraq is largely Shi'ite, and has not had the level of violence of some other areas. But he says colleagues in neighboring provinces where there has been more trouble are also optimistic about the progress of the Iraqi forces and the prospects¹⁵ for reducing U.S. troop levels.

1 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

2 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

3 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。

4 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。

5 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

6 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

7 battalion   

n.营；部队；大队(的人)

参考例句：

• The town was garrisoned by a battalion.该镇由一营士兵驻守。
• At the end of the drill parade,the battalion fell out.操练之后，队伍解散了。

8 input   

n.输入(物)；投入；vt.把(数据等)输入计算机

参考例句：

• I will forever be grateful for his considerable input.我将永远感激他的大量投入。
• All this information had to be input onto the computer.所有这些信息都必须输入计算机。

9 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。

10 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

11 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

13 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。

14 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

15 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。