VOA标准英语10月-Pentagon Cautious on Reported Pakistani Plan to A

U.S. defense¹ officials responded cautiously Thursday to a report that Pakistan plans to give weapons to thousands of men in its western region so they can join the fight against militants³ who have taken refuge in the area. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.
　

Pakistani army soldiers in tribal4 regions (file photo)

A senior U.S. military official told VOA he was not aware of the Pakistani plan reported by The Washington Post, and is not sure if the report is accurate. Speaking on condition of anonymity⁵, the officer also could also not confirm the Post's claim that the United States supports the Pakistani plan, but he said U.S. military leaders do, in general, support what he called "innovative⁶ ideas" to deal with militant² safe havens⁸ in western Pakistan.

Pentagon Spokesman Brian Whitman had a similar view.

"What we support is efforts by the Pakistani government to deal with these extremist threats that are not only a threat to their own country, but also to, in particular, the bordering country of Afghanistan, where we've seen an increased activity along that border. So I would say that we are supportive of the Pakistani government acknowledging and dealing¹⁰ with these internal extremist threats in their country," he said.

Whitman could not comment on the specific program reported by The Washington Post, but he said any effort that addresses extremists in Pakistan in an "effective" and "meaningful" way "is good."

The Post report says Pakistan plans to provide Chinese-made AK-47 rifles to thousands of fighters in new local militias¹¹, whose leaders say they will fight the Taliban. Top officials of the militant movement that used to rule Afghanistan, and allies in other groups including al-Qaida, have taken refuge in western Pakistan, and U.S. officials say they use the safe haven⁷ to plan attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and possibly elsewhere.

A Pakistani effort to control militants in the western tribal areas through agreements with local leaders failed last year, and was sharply criticized by U.S. officials. The officials believe that effort delayed the kind of more-decisive moves into the western region by Pakistan's army that have only happened in recent months. Those operations have earned praise from many of the same U.S. officials who criticized the earlier approach.

Some experts point out that Pakistan's tribesmen are generally well armed already. The experts say the more important question is how the tribes use their weapons. American strategists believe local forces can play a key role in fighting insurgents¹² and terrorists, as they did in Iraq, particularly in its Anbar Province, where tribal leaders decided¹³ to oppose al-Qaida early last year and helped turn the tide of that conflict. But they also caution that it is a difficult and potentially dangerous process.

The officer who spoke⁹ on condition of anonymity Thursday said, "the devil is in the details." He said if Pakistan is going to arm local militiamen, the success or failure of the program will depend on who has the power to make key decisions, and exactly who they decide to give the weapons.

1 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。

2 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。

3 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。

4 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。

5 anonymity   

n.the condition of being anonymous

参考例句：

• Names of people in the book were changed to preserve anonymity. 为了姓名保密，书中的人用的都是化名。
• Our company promises to preserve the anonymity of all its clients. 我们公司承诺不公开客户的姓名。

6 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

7 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

8 havens   

n.港口，安全地方( haven的名词复数 )v.港口，安全地方( haven的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Your twenty havens would back out at the last minute anyhow. 你那二十个避难所到了最后一分钟也要不认帐。 来自辞典例句
• Using offshore havens to avoid taxes and investor protections. 使用海面的港口避免税和投资者保护。 来自互联网

9 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。

10 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

11 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

12 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

13 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。