VOA标准英语2008年-Top US Officer Sees More US Troop Cuts in Iraq

The top U.S. military officer says if current trends continue he expects to recommend further U.S. troop reductions in Iraq. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.
　
Admiral Mike Mullen at Camp Barber, Afghanistan, 11 Jul 2008

Admiral Mike Mullen says he found more progress on security than he had expected when he visited Iraq last week. And while he would not provide details, he said he could recommend further U.S. troop reductions when the next round of military recommendations go to President Bush in September.

"I will not go so far as to say that progress in Iraq from a military perspective has reached a tipping point, or it is irreversible," said Admiral Mullen. "It has not and it is not. But security is unquestionably and remarkably¹ better. Indeed, if these trends continue, I expect to be able, early in the fall, to be able to recommend to the secretary and the president further troop reductions."

The last of the additional U.S. combat troops sent to Iraq last year as part of the surge of forces are scheduled to be out of the country by next week. That triggers a period of assessment² by commanders there, and in Washington, that is expected to culminate³ in early September with new recommendations on U.S. troop levels.

Commanders have been reluctant to say now what they might recommend in September, so Admiral Mullen's statement came as a surprise to may observers. He said it resulted from what he saw during his recent visit to Iraq.

"I fully⁴ expected to find security conditions much improved, and they were," he said. "I did not expect, however, that those conditions would be at such a level that I could walk the Jamilla Market in Sadr City, or visit an outpost in what had recently been one of the most violent neighborhoods in Mosul, or that Iraqi security forces would now have the confidence and the command to take the lead as much as they are."

Admiral Mullen also repeated that he is eager to reduce the U.S. troop commitment to Iraq, if he can do so without risking security gains, in order to make more troops available for Afghanistan, where a resurgent Taliban and a porous⁵ border with Pakistan have led to deterioration⁶ of the security situation.

　

 

1 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

2 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

3 culminate   

v.到绝顶，达于极点，达到高潮

参考例句：

• The celebration of the centenary will culminate with a dinner.百年庆典活动将以宴会作为高潮。
• Everyone feared that the boundary dispute between these two countries would culminate in a war.人人都担心,这两国间的边境争端将以一场战争到达顶点。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 porous   

adj.可渗透的，多孔的

参考例句：

• He added sand to the soil to make it more porous.他往土里掺沙子以提高渗水性能。
• The shell has to be slightly porous to enable oxygen to pass in.外壳不得不有些细小的孔以便能使氧气通过。

6 deterioration   

n.退化；恶化；变坏

参考例句：

• Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
• The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。