VOA常速英语2008年-Taliban, Al-Qaida Threaten Pakistan

By Meredith Buel
Islamabad
06 February 2008

Military and political analysts² in Pakistan are expressing growing concern that al-Qaida and Taliban-linked insurgents³ are now emerging from their traditional strongholds along the border with Afghanistan and are becoming a serious threat to the entire country.  The number of terrorist attacks in populated areas is skyrocketing and analysts say government efforts to stem the violence are not working.  VOA correspondent Meredith Buel has details from Islamabad. 

In recent months, suicide bombers⁴ have caused death and destruction across Pakistan, striking in population centers like Lahore, Peshawar and Rawalpindi.

In 2007, the Pakistani government says there were at least 55 suicide bombings and other terrorist attacks in Pakistan, killing⁵ 600 people. 

That is nearly 10 times the number of such attacks during the previous year.

Talat Masood is a retired⁶ Lieutenant⁷ General who spent 39 years in Pakistan's Army and is now a political and defense⁸ analyst¹.

Masood says violence caused by extremists is now spreading from the tribal⁹ areas into the heart of Pakistan, a development he describes as alarming. 

"The militancy¹⁰ is on the rise and it is expanding its influence, not only in the tribal belt, but also in the settled areas and it is moving downwards¹¹ in all directions and it is getting extremely dangerous," he noted¹².

Pakistani President and former army chief of staff Pervez Musharraf has sent 100,000 soldiers into the tribal areas, but they have not been able to contain the violence or keep militants¹⁴ from staging attacks in other parts of the country.

During a recent tour of Europe, Mr. Musharraf told world leaders that Pakistan has been successful in fighting al-Qaida, the Taliban and other Islamic extremists.

He strongly rejects the idea that his government is failing in the fight against terrorism.

"We have not failed," he said.  "We are going along fighting al-Qaida, fighting militant¹³ Taliban and fighting Talibanization flowing outside and also fighting extremism in some segments of our society in Pakistan."

However opposition¹⁵ politicians in Pakistan like Imran Khan say the situation here is going from bad to worse.

"The question that needs to be asked is how come if General Musharraf is our best bet to fight terrorism, how come terrorism is increasing by leaps and bounds?" he asked.  "Last year was the bloodiest¹⁶ year for Pakistan, culminating in the assassination¹⁷ of Benazir Bhutto."

Ms. Bhutto was assassinated¹⁸ last December in a suicide bombing and shooting attack in Rawalpindi.

Her death led to widespread rioting and protests and forced a delay of nationwide elections.

The government has blamed the assassination on al-Qaida-linked militants.

Intelligence officials in the United States and elsewhere are expressing concern that al-Qaida is growing in strength in what has become a safe haven¹⁹ for the terrorist group in the tribal areas of Pakistan.

They are concerned the region could become a place for al-Qaida to plan terrorist attacks abroad.

Analyst Talat Masood says the militants are more successful than the Pakistani government in winning support from the local population along the rugged²⁰ border with Afghanistan.

"What about winning the hearts and minds of the people of the tribal area?  Where has the government succeeded in doing that?  In fact, the militants have been able to sort of win them over, in relative terms, more that what the government has been able to do.  I think their policy is not working," he said.

The United States has launched an ambitious aid plan in an effort to counter militancy in Pakistan's tribal areas.

Over the next five years U.S. officials plan to spend $750 million to create jobs, open schools, build hundreds of miles of new roads and improve literacy in an area where nearly no one can read.

This is in addition to the billions of dollars in U.S. aid flowing to the Pakistani Army to fight the militants.

But analyst Talat Masood predicts the military will continue to struggle in its effort to defeat the extremists.

"This is not a conventional war," he added.  "We are not fighting the last war as though we were fighting with an adversary²¹ like India or anyone.  It is a different sort of a war, asymmetrical²² warfare²³ or guerrilla warfare."

U.S. defense officials have offered to send troops into Pakistan to help defeat al-Qaida and Taliban forces, but only if the government here wants the help.

President Musharraf has made it clear that such a request is not likely to come from his government.

"The man on the street in Pakistan does not want any foreign intrusion into Pakistan," he explained.  "It is an issue of the sovereignty of our country.  And the United States and anyone who talks of that must understand the sensitivity of the man in the street.  So, I do not think this is possible at all that any foreign forces will be allowed into Pakistan."

U.S. officials are deeply concerned that what appears to be a growing insurgency²⁴ in Pakistan is becoming bolder and spreading quickly into the heart of the country.

While the government in Islamabad remains²⁵ a strong ally of the United States in the war on terror, analysts say the violence here is creating instability that poses a serious threat to the future of Pakistan.

1 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。

2 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。

3 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

4 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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。

6 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

7 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

8 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。

9 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。

10 militancy   

n.warlike behavior or tendency

参考例句：

• Full of militancy and revolutionary ardour, the people of all nationalities in the country are working hard for the realization of the four modernizations. 全国各族人民意气风发， 斗志昂扬，为实现四个现代化而奋战。
• The seniority system is another factor that leads to union militancy. 排资论辈制度也是导致工会好斗争的另一因素。

11 downwards   

adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地）

参考例句：

• He lay face downwards on his bed.他脸向下伏在床上。
• As the river flows downwards,it widens.这条河愈到下游愈宽。

12 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

13 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。

14 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。

15 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。

16 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

17 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。

18 assassinated   

v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏

参考例句：

• The prime minister was assassinated by extremists. 首相遭极端分子暗杀。
• Then, just two days later, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 跟着在两天以后，肯尼迪总统在达拉斯被人暗杀。 来自辞典例句

19 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。

20 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。

21 adversary   

adj.敌手，对手

参考例句：

• He saw her as his main adversary within the company.他将她视为公司中主要的对手。
• They will do anything to undermine their adversary's reputation.他们会不择手段地去损害对手的名誉。

22 asymmetrical   

adj.不均匀的，不对称的

参考例句：

• Most people's faces are asymmetrical.多数人的脸并不对称。
• Folds may be gentle and symmetrical,or sharp and asymmetrical.褶皱可以是平缓而对称的，也可以是陡峭而非对称的。

23 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

24 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

25 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。