VOA常速英语2007年-NATO, Afghan Forces Launch Offensive Against Ta

By Benjamin Sand
Islamabad
09 December 2007

NATO and Afghan forces have launched a major offensive in Southern Afghanistan, targeting a key Taliban stronghold. From Pakistan, VOA Correspondent Benjamin Sand reports the operation has already captured two senior Taliban leaders.

More than 6,000 Afghan and NATO forces have surrounded the Taliban-held town of Musa Qala in the southern province of Helmand. Taliban insurgents¹ have occupied the village for nearly a year.

Local residents say heavy fighting erupted late Friday with an estimated 2,000 hardcore Taliban fighters still holed up inside the Afghan village.

NATO spokesman Major Charles Anthony says the operation is expected to last several days and will ultimately restore civilian² government to the embattled town. "The aim is to restore governance to Musa Qala," he said. "The people there are not satisfied living under Taliban tyranny, and our aim is to ensure that the people there can have the governments they deserve and on that has been imposed on them."

Afghan officials say at least 12 militants⁴ have been killed. Two children and a British soldier were also killed in the fighting.

The Afghan defense⁵ ministry⁶ says its forces captured two militant³ commanders during the operation, including the Taliban-appointed governor of Helmand, Mullah Rahim Akhond.

The Taliban overran Musa Qala last February. British forces withdrew from the region several months earlier after local tribal⁷ leaders negotiated a controversial and short-lived truce⁸ with the insurgents.

The town is the only major population center Taliban forces have managed to capture and hold in recent years. As a result, Musa Qala has emerged as powerful propaganda tool for the insurgents and critical target for NATO and Afghan forces. The entire province remains⁹ a key Taliban stronghold and a central front in the fight against the Islamist militants.

Saturday, local police in Helmand accused Taliban insurgents of hanging a 12-year-old boy accused of spying.

 

The war-torn region is also home to Afghanistan's booming illegal drug trade, which Taliban forces use to finance their operations.

This has been the region's bloodiest¹⁰ year since U.S.-led forces invaded Afghanistan in 2001. About 6,000 people have been killed in insurgency¹¹ related violence, and both sides are vowing¹² to maintain the pressure in the year ahead.

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 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。

3 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

4 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。

5 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。

6 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

7 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。

8 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 bloodiest   

adj.血污的( bloody的最高级 )；流血的；屠杀的；残忍的

参考例句：

• The Russians were going to suffer their bloodiest defeat of all before Berlin. 俄国人在柏林城下要遭到他们的最惨重的失败。 来自辞典例句
• It was perhaps the bloodiest hour in the history of warfare. 这也许是战争史上血腥味最浓的1个小时。 来自互联网

11 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

12 vowing   

起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild its collapsed bridge. 布什总统承诺将帮助明尼阿波利斯重建坍塌的大桥。
• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild this collapse bridge. 布什总统发誓要帮助明尼阿波利斯重建起这座坍塌的桥梁。