VOA标准英语10月-Pakistan Plan to Arm Tribal Militias Poses Risks

Pakistan is enlisting² local tribal³ militias⁴ in the fight against Islamic militants⁶. A report, first published in an American newspaper article on Thursday, says the government is procuring⁷ Chinese-made weapons to arm the militias in the rugged⁸ tribal areas of Pakistan. But, as VOA Correspondent Gary Thomas reports, the plan poses some risks.
　

Pakistani paramilitary soldiers arrive on the outskirts9 of Peshawar, 14 Sep 2008

U.S. official sources say Pakistan is stepping up its campaign to enlist¹ tribal militias in the fight against Islamic militants. But analysts¹¹ say it is a risky¹² strategy.

Officials say the Pakistan government has been encouraging the militias, known as lashkars, to fight the militants for some time. A report in The Washington Post newspaper on Thursday said that during his recent visit to Beijing, Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari arranged for the procurement¹³ of new AK-47 assault rifles and other small arms from China for the lashkars.

U.S. officials would not confirm the arms deal. But they add that the tribal groups are already well-armed and that if Pakistan wants to get more small weapons for the lashkars, China would be the logical source.

Shuja Nawaz, an analyst¹⁰ of Pakistani military affairs, says the government wants to augment¹⁴ the Frontier Corps¹⁵, which has been bearing the brunt of the fight against militant⁵ groups in the border areas.

"At this point, I think it's simply to complement¹⁶ what the Frontier Corps is doing and the Army is doing," Nawaz said. "So it adds to their numbers and it's a political show of force as well."

The Frontier Corps is locally recruited, but is led by regular Pakistani army officers. The lashkars are outside the Pakistani Army chain of command and are led by tribal leaders, known as maliks.

The government has attempted to make peace treaties with tribal groups, many of which have some level of sympathy for al-Qaida and the Taliban. But the deals, which were sharply criticized by the United States, collapsed¹⁷.

The militants are now encountering some resistance from tribal groups, and the government hopes to exploit the tribal resentment¹⁸. U.S. officials are hopeful that this will replicate¹⁹ the so-called "awakening²⁰" that sparked tribes in Iraq to fight al-Qaida.

Analyst Shuja Nawaz says giving more weapons to the lashkars could benefit the government of President Zardari. But, he warns, it could backfire.

"Over the short run, and if it's properly controlled, it might work," said Nawaz. "Over the long run, it creates the possibility of creating yet another group that may or may not stay on the government's side, particularly if they become better armed and trained. They could become a kind of a local warlord situation."
　

Dana Perino, 23 Oct 2008

Asked about the plan, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the United States is taking a wait-and-see attitude.

"I don't have all the details as to how the Pakistanis have designed their new initiative, but I think that they've probably learned a lot from the last time around," she said. "And maybe this one will be better. We hope so. But we're going to keep an eye on it."

The Washington Post reports that the newly appointed head of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence directorate, General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, is scheduled to meet with his CIA counterpart, General Michael Hayden, in Washington in the next few days.

1 enlist   

vt.谋取(支持等)，赢得；征募；vi.入伍

参考例句：

• They come here to enlist men for the army.他们来这儿是为了召兵。
• The conference will make further efforts to enlist the support of the international community for their just struggle. 会议必将进一步动员国际社会，支持他们的正义斗争。

2 enlisting   

v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的现在分词 )；获得（帮助或支持）

参考例句：

• He thought about enlisting-about the Spanish legion-about a profession. 他想去打仗，想参加西班牙军团，想找个职业。 来自辞典例句
• They are not enlisting men over thirty-five. 他们不召超过35岁的人入伍。 来自辞典例句

3 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。

4 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

5 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。

6 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。

7 procuring   

v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的现在分词 )；拉皮条

参考例句：

• He was accused of procuring women for his business associates. 他被指控为其生意合伙人招妓。 来自辞典例句
• She had particular pleasure, in procuring him the proper invitation. 她特别高兴为他争得这份体面的邀请。 来自辞典例句

8 rugged   

adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的

参考例句：

• Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。
• The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。

9 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

10 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。

11 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。

12 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

13 procurement   

n.采购；获得

参考例句：

• He is in charge of the procurement of materials.他负责物资的采购。
• More and more,human food procurement came to have a dominant effect on their evolution.人类获取食物愈来愈显著地影响到人类的进化。

14 augment   

vt.(使)增大，增加，增长，扩张

参考例句：

• They hit upon another idea to augment their income.他们又想出一个增加收入的办法。
• The government's first concern was to augment the army and auxiliary forces.政府首先关心的是增强军队和辅助的力量。

15 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

16 complement   

n.补足物，船上的定员；补语；vt.补充，补足

参考例句：

• The two suggestions complement each other.这两条建议相互补充。
• They oppose each other also complement each other.它们相辅相成。

17 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

18 resentment   

n.怨愤，忿恨

参考例句：

• All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

19 replicate   

v.折叠，复制，模写；n.同样的样品；adj.转折的

参考例句：

• The DNA of chromatin must replicate before cell division.染色质DNA在细胞分裂之前必须复制。
• It is also easy to replicate,as the next subsection explains.就像下一个小节详细说明的那样，它还可以被轻易的复制。

20 awakening   

n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的

参考例句：

• the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
• People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。