VOA标准英语2008年-Britain Orders More Troops to Afghanistan

By Sonja Pace
London
16 June 2008

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced he will send additional troops to Afghanistan to boost force levels in the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaida supporters. VOA's Sonja Pace has details from London.
　

Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown (l) poses with U.S. President Bush, on the doorstep of his official residence at 10 Downing Street in central London, 14 Jun 2008

Speaking at a joint¹ news conference with visiting U.S. President George Bush, Prime Minister Brown said more British troops would be deployed² soon.

"Today Britain will announce additional troops for Afghanistan bringing our numbers in Afghanistan to the highest level," said the British leader.

Britain currently has around 7,800 troops in Afghanistan, operating in the provinces of Helmand and Kandahar and in Kabul. British Defense³ Secretary Des Browne announced that an additional 230 troops would be deployed by the Spring of 2009, bringing the total British commitment to 8,030.

London and Washington have consistently stressed the need to confront extremists in both Afghanistan and Iraq or be faced with extremists taking the fight to Britain and the US.

Speaking in London, President Bush said military action in Iraq and Afghanistan is necessary.

"Absolutely, it is necessary, if you believe we are in an ideological⁴ war, the theaters of which right now, the most notable theaters are Afghanistan and Iraq," he said.

NATO has some 40,000 troops in Afghanistan and the United States, with the largest contingent⁵, has called for an increased commitment by other alliance members.
　

Pakistani officials and others offer funeral prayers to paramilitary troops who lost their lives during a clash at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, 11 Jun 2008 (photo released by Pakistan's Press Information Department)

The increase in British troops comes amid heightened tension along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

Last week a U.S. cross-border air strike killed 11 Pakistani paramilitary troops. U.S. officials said the strike had targeted insurgents⁶; the Pakistanis called the attack "unprovoked and cowardly."

At a news conference in Kabul, Afghan President Hamid Karzai issued his own warning to militants⁸ and to the Pakistani government. He said his country is ready to seek out militant⁷ leaders wherever they are and warned that if Pakistani militants cross into his country, Afghanistan has the right to retaliate⁹ and destroy their hideouts across the border.

Speaking in London, President Bush said he understands President Karzai's concerns.

"It is in no one's interest that extremists have a safe haven¹⁰ from which to operate and obviously it is a testy¹¹ situation there and if I am the president of a country and people are coming, allegedly coming from one country to another to kill innocent civilians¹² on my side, I would be concerned about it," he said.

Mr. Bush called for calm and for more coordination¹³ and sharing of information among Pakistan, Afghanistan and coalition¹⁴ forces.

Responding to President Karzai's warning, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi described the Afghan leader's comments as "irresponsible" and "regrettable", saying Pakistan "shall defend its territorial¹⁵ sovereignty."

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

3 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。

4 ideological   

a.意识形态的

参考例句：

• He always tries to link his study with his ideological problems. 他总是把学习和自己的思想问题联系起来。
• He helped me enormously with advice on how to do ideological work. 他告诉我怎样做思想工作，对我有很大帮助。

5 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

6 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

7 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。

8 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。

9 retaliate   

v.报复，反击

参考例句：

• He sought every opportunity to retaliate against his enemy.他找机会向他的敌人反击。
• It is strictly forbidden to retaliate against the quality inspectors.严禁对质量检验人员进行打击报复。

10 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。

11 testy   

adj.易怒的；暴躁的

参考例句：

• Ben's getting a little testy in his old age.上了年纪后本变得有点性急了。
• A doctor was called in to see a rather testy aristocrat.一个性格相当暴躁的贵族召来了一位医生为他检查。

12 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。

13 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

14 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

15 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。