VOA常速英语2007-Pakistani Security Forces Clash with Pro-Taliban

By Barry Newhouse
Islamabad
26 October 2007

Pro-Taliban militants¹ in northwest Pakistan have clashed with paramilitary forces, a day after a deadly bomb attack on a troop transport truck in the area. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from Islamabad that area residents report at least three deaths in the clash.

The fighting erupted in the early afternoon near the home of a radical² Muslim cleric wanted by the government. For several hours, militants allied³ with outlaw⁴ leader Maulana Fazlullah traded gunfire with paramilitary forces and police. Mortar⁵ fire and explosions rocked the village of Imamdheri.

A spokesman for the Northwest Frontier Provincial⁶ administration, Badshah Gul Wazir, says the fighting began when a helicopter carrying a senior military official tried to land near the village. He says the helicopter came under fire from heavy weapons and mortars⁷ in the village of Imamdheri, the paramilitary forces responded to the attack and the exchange of fire continued.

Area residents say military forces surrounded and fired on the village, but Wazir denies the allegation, saying that government forces merely responded when attacked.

Earlier this week, more than 2,000 paramilitary troops were sent to the region - a move government officials say is to boost security, and not a sign of a new offensive against militants.

On Thursday, a bomb attack on a military convoy⁸ in the area injured or killed more than 30 people.

Several groups of pro-Taliban militants in the region have clashed with security forces in recent months. Maulana Fazlullah leads the most prominent group, the Movement for the Implementation⁹ of Islamic Law. The group is also known as TNSM, the initials of its Urdu name.

The movement sent hundreds of troops into Afghanistan in 2001 to help the Taliban government then in power against the U.S.-led invasion. Officials now accuse the group of developing links with anti-government militants in Pakistan's tribal¹⁰ areas.

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 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 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

4 outlaw   

n.歹徒，亡命之徒；vt.宣布…为不合法

参考例句：

• The outlaw hid out in the hills for several months.逃犯在山里隐藏了几个月。
• The outlaw has been caught.歹徒已被抓住了。

5 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。

6 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。

7 mortars   

n.迫击炮( mortar的名词复数 )；砂浆；房产；研钵

参考例句：

• They could not move their heavy mortars over the swampy ground. 他们无法把重型迫击炮移过那片沼泽地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Where the hell are his mortars? 他有迫击炮吗？ 来自教父部分

8 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

9 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

10 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。