VOA标准英语2008年-Pakistan-Afghan Border Conflict Leaves Tens of

The International Committee of the Red Cross is launching an emergency operation to provide urgent assistance to tens of thousands of victims of armed conflict in Bajaur Agency on Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. Lisa Schlein reports from International Committee of the Red Cross headquarters in Geneva.
　
Pakistani people from the Bajur tribal¹ region arrive at a relief camp at a school compound in Nowshera district near Peshawar, 20 Aug 2008

The International Committee of the Red Cross reports more than 200,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in Bajaur Agency for relatively² safer areas in the North West Frontier Province and other tribal agencies.

Armed conflict between Pakistani security forces and militants³ has intensified⁴ over the past two weeks. And, this has resulted in mass migration⁵ from the troubled Bajaur Agency.

Red Cross spokeswoman, Carla Haddad, says tens of thousands of people are in desperate straits. To respond to their needs, she says the ICRC, along with the Pakistani Red Crescent, is launching a relief operation to help more than 64,000 people. She says 14,000 are on the Afghan side and 50,000 in conflict areas of Pakistan.

"The displaced have moved from Bajaur Agency where the conflict flared⁶ up and Bajaur is in the northern part of federally-administered tribal areas in northwestern Pakistan," she said. "And, they moved to the cities around. So, the ICRC is concerned because there are large numbers of civilians⁸, mainly women and children who were forced to flee and are in need of assistance. They are in need of basic necessities, such as food, clean water, shelter, and lack of access to medical care is an issue for sick people, especially for children."

The Red Cross says some people have found refuge with host families who also are poor. It says these families are depleting⁹ their resources by feeding more people and are having problems restocking their food supplies.

It says many homes are becoming overcrowded with displaced people. So, besides caring for those who have fled the fighting, the Red Cross says it also must assist those who are providing shelter to them.

The Red Cross is appealing to all those involved in the armed conflict to comply with international humanitarian¹⁰ law. It says they must ensure the civilian⁷ population is respected and protected in all circumstances. It says they must allow emergency relief and medical supplies to reach people in need.

 

1 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。

2 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

3 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。

4 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

6 Flared   

adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The match flared and went out. 火柴闪亮了一下就熄了。
• The fire flared up when we thought it was out. 我们以为火已经熄灭，但它突然又燃烧起来。

7 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

8 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。

9 depleting   

使大大的减少，使空虚( deplete的现在分词 )； 耗尽，使枯竭

参考例句：

• Regulations are outlawing certain refrigerants, such as chlorofluorocarbons, which contain ozone-depleting chemicals. 随后出台的政策禁用了部分制冷剂，如破坏臭氧层的氟氯碳化合物。
• Aging, being a series of continual losses, can be keenly depleting. 老龄化，作为一个系列的连续亏损，可以清楚地消耗。

10 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。