VOA标准英语2010年-Somali Capital Braces for All-Out War

Somalia government policemen guard a street in southern Mogadishu during a raid in which 60 people suspected of creating violence in the capital were arrested (File)

French Foreign Legion Training Ugandan Troops for Peacekeeping Mission in Somalia
Remaining residents within Somalia's battle-torn capital are fleeing as rebel and government forces prepare for new clashes.  The Western-backed Mogadishu government has announced its intention of launching an offensive against the Islamist opposition¹. 

For weeks, the Transitional Federal Government has been promising² to drive back the rebel forces who control much of Mogadishu and most of southern Somalia.  The threat was reiterated³ by the the nation's foreign affairs minister during a visit to Japan.  He said the offensive would begin "very very soon."

Those in the capital city say clashes appear imminent⁴, with the government army positioning to attack, and reinforcements reportedly flowing into the shifting rebel lines.

A youth leads a group of al Shabab fighters as they conduct military exercises in northern Mogadishu's Suqaholaha neighborhood (File)

The government has begun to shell al-Shabab-controlled areas.  Some reports say there have civilians⁵ have been killed in the shelling.

Hundreds are said to be fleeing the city in expectation of major violence, most heading to the Afgoye Corridor about 30 kilometers south of Mogadishu.  The camp there is thought to house the most concentrated number of displaced people in the world.

The spokesman for the insurgent⁶ Islamist group al-Shabab, Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage, told reporters his fighters are ready for any attack, saying the government would be unseated from power.  The group regularly denounces the official administration for being un-Islamic.

The official government is headed by Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, a former insurgent leader who was elected by the nation's parliament in early 2009. 

Most of his tenure⁷ in power has been marked by a strengthening Islamist insurgency⁸, composed of many of his former friends and allies.  Most powerful and most radical⁹ of the rebel groups is al-Shabab, thought by Washington to have links to al-Qaida.  Fighting alongside, and occasionally against, is Hizbul Islam, a conglomerate¹⁰ of smaller rebel factions¹¹.

The embattled administration has been buffered¹² from the insurgents¹³ by an African Union peacekeeping force composed of Ugandans and Burundians, which protects about 10-square blocks that includes the presidential palace and the airstrip.

The government has for months lingered in inaction as the rebels have entrenched¹⁴ their control throughout much of the country.  But its officials say the time has come for retaliation¹⁵.

A recent Reuters report quoted an anonymous¹⁶ Kenyan official as saying 2,500 Somalis have just finished military training in northeastern Kenya and are being deployed¹⁷ with the Somali military.  Kenya, not eager to start a direct conflict against the Islamists, and has denied the accuracy of such reports

But some doubt whether the Somali army is capable of conducting the long-promised counter-insurgency campaign.  The army is criticized as being poorly funded and undisciplined.  Soldiers complain of late pay and a lack of equipment.

The Mogadishu government says support from the international community has been inadequate¹⁸.  In addition, the administration is plagued by a perception of being corrupt¹⁹ and inept²⁰.

 

1 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。

2 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

3 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

4 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

5 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。

6 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

7 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

8 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

9 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

10 conglomerate   

n.综合商社，多元化集团公司

参考例句：

• The firm has been taken over by an American conglomerate.该公司已被美国一企业集团接管。
• An American conglomerate holds a major share in the company.一家美国的大联合企业持有该公司的大部分股份。

11 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别

12 buffered   

[医]缓冲的

参考例句：

• The drug buffered his pain. 药物减轻了他的病痛。
• The reaction should be buffered to a pH of between 6 and 11. 应使反应缓冲到pH值为6～11。

13 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

14 entrenched   

adj.确立的，不容易改的(风俗习惯)

参考例句：

• Television seems to be firmly entrenched as the number one medium for national advertising.电视看来要在全国广告媒介中牢固地占据头等位置。
• If the enemy dares to attack us in these entrenched positions,we will make short work of them.如果敌人胆敢进攻我们固守的阵地，我们就消灭他们。

15 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

17 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。

18 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

19 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

20 inept   

adj.不恰当的，荒谬的，拙劣的

参考例句：

• Whan an inept remark to make on such a formal occasion.在如此正式的场合，怎么说这样不恰当的话。
• He's quite inept at tennis.他打网球太笨。