VOA标准英语2008年-Militants' Attacks Highlight Violence Along Afg

By Nancy-Amelia Collins
Islamabad
22 January 2008

Islamic militants¹ attacked and killed five Pakistani soldiers in the country's tribal² mountainous region near the border with Afghanistan as analysts⁴ say the al-Qaida-linked fighters appear to be gaining more control of the region. VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins in Islamabad reports.

Violence has increased in the past week between Pakistani security forces and militants. The latest attack, before dawn Tuesday, left five Pakistani soldiers dead.

Last week, the al-Qaida-linked militants attacked and briefly⁵ captured a military fort in South Waziristan. Two days later the military claimed up to 90 militants were killed in two separate clashes in the same area, but a spokesman for the militants denied the heavy loss of life.

Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas says the militants suffered heavy casualties in the latest attack but did not know the exact number of deaths. He also denied the military was carrying out a major offensive in the region.

"The military, or security forces, are carrying out the operations in the areas where they're being attacked upon," he said. "The civilians⁶ are being pressurized by the militants to fall in their line and we are not carrying out any big operation, it is only against the miscreants⁷ which are

creating problems of attacking security forces."

The al-Qaida linked militants are led by Pakistan's most wanted man, Baitullah Mehsud, whom both the government and the United States blame for the assassination⁸ last month of opposition⁹ leader Benazir Bhutto.

The security forces have been fighting militants in South Waziristan for several years. Many al-Qaida and Taliban fighters took refuge on the Pakistan side of the border after the United States ousted¹⁰ the Taliban from Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S.

In recent months, the militants have launched at least 20 bombings aimed mostly at the security forces across Pakistan, killing¹¹ more than 400 people.

Political analyst³ Ayaz Amir says the government is losing control of the tribal region.

"Its [the government] reach has not only diminished, it has evaporated from many parts of the tribal areas, especially north and south Waziristan. And to the extent where the tribals who are really in favor of the government, they're afraid to show their true feelings or true colors because of fear of retaliation¹² from the Taliban militants," said amir. "So the situation is very bad."

Although violence has risen across Pakistan, Amir does not believe it will stop the parliamentary elections that are scheduled for February 18.

The latest attack occurred just hours before Admiral William Fallon, the commander of the U.S. military's Central Command, was due in the country Tuesday for talks with Pakistani army commander General Ashfaq Kayani.

No details of his visit have been released.

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 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。

3 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

4 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

5 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

6 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

7 miscreants   

n.恶棍，歹徒( miscreant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I ordered the miscreants to let me out. 我命令这些土匪放我出去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Local people demanded that the District Magistrate apprehend the miscreants. 当地人要求地方法官逮捕那些歹徒。 来自辞典例句

8 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

10 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

11 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

12 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》