VOA常速英语2008年-Turkey Continues Northern Iraq Incursion

By Dorian Jones
Istanbul
24 February 2008

The Turkish military says 33 Kurdish rebels and eight soldiers were killed during an operation Sunday in northern Iraq. The Turkish army says it has killed 112 Kurdish Workers Party rebels since the start of its incursion into Northern Iraq, last Thursday. Dorian Jones reports for VOA from Istanbul the rebels dispute the claim and say they have killed 43 soldiers.

Turkish jets taking off from bases close to Iraqi border are reportedly hitting targets deep into Northern Iraq. The strikes, along with attacks from helicopter gun-ships, are in support of land forces attacking Kurdish Workers Party bases in northern Iraq.

Turkish media reports say Turkish soldiers were parachuted close to the Kandil Mountains on Iraq-Iran border. Kandil is the location of one of the largest rebel bases.

Independent verification of the conflicting casualty reports is impossible because of the mountainous and sparsely¹ populated region where the fighting is taking place.

A spokesmen for the Kurdish Workers Party, known as the PKK, says there is intense fighting and claimed a Turkish helicopter was shot down, Turkish authorities acknowledge its lost, but refuse to confirm it was because of enemy fire.

A Turkish military spokesman was quoted as saying the rebels are in disarray² and fleeing south.

In Turkey, thousands of people attended the funerals of the first Turkish soldiers killed in the incursion, many chanting anti-PKK slogans

Despite the mounting death toll³, support in the country appears to remain strong for the operation.

But the intensification⁴ of fighting is leading to increasing diplomatic pressure on Turkey to swiftly end the incursion. U.S. Secretary of Defense⁵ Robert Gates said he hopes Turkey keeps its operation short and precise.

But Ankara appears resolute⁶ in continuing the incursion.

The Turkish military says up to 3,000 rebels are using the semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdish enclave as a base to launch attacks against its forces. The PKK has been fighting for autonomy in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast since 1984. Turkey Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, addressing a meeting of party supporters, expressed his government's determination to continue the operation.

"We are all united against this terror threat," he said, "but we will never target our friends the Iraqi people, our only target is the PKK terror."

But Mr. Erdogan is aware that with everyday the fighting continues in Iraq, international pressure will mount on his government to end the incursion.

1 sparsely   

adv.稀疏地；稀少地；不足地；贫乏地

参考例句：

• Relative to the size, the city is sparsely populated. 与其面积相比，这个城市的人口是稀少的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The ground was sparsely covered with grass. 地面上稀疏地覆盖草丛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 disarray   

n.混乱，紊乱，凌乱

参考例句：

• His personal life fell into disarray when his wife left him.妻子离去后，他的个人生活一片混乱。
• Our plans were thrown into disarray by the rail strike.铁路罢工打乱了我们的计划。

3 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

4 intensification   

n.激烈化，增强明暗度；加厚

参考例句：

• The intensification of the immunological response represents the body's natural defense. 增强免疫反应代表身体的自然保卫。 来自辞典例句
• Agriculture in the developing nations is not irreversibly committed, to a particular pattern of intensification. 发展中国家的农业并没有完全为某种集约化形式所束缚。 来自辞典例句

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 resolute   

adj.坚决的，果敢的

参考例句：

• He was resolute in carrying out his plan.他坚决地实行他的计划。
• The Egyptians offered resolute resistance to the aggressors.埃及人对侵略者作出坚决的反抗。