VOA标准英语2012--Danger to West Increases From Al-Qaida Threat in Yemen

Danger to West Increases From Al-Qaida Threat in Yemen

Video obtained from al-Qaida-linked militants¹ in Yemen shows missile launchers, automatic weapons, heavy ammunition² and vehicles with machine guns. All, they say, were captured from the Yemeni Army in March during an assault that killed more than 100 government soldiers.

“Today, thank God, the brothers stormed an artillery³ and katyusha [rocket] brigade and, thank God, the brothers took complete control of the site, and seized six katyusha [rocket] launchers, six cannons⁴ and four tanks,” said Jalal Baledi, a leader of Ansar al-Sharia, an offshoot of al-Qaida.

The U.S. military has helped train Yemeni troops to fight terrorists who are members of Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.

But analysts⁵ say they face an ever growing insurgency⁶, especially in the southern part of the country.

“The fear is that that has a demoralizing effect on troops, especially if they are feeling that the military itself is not as centered around the al-Qaida fight as it is around the political drama that has been going on in Sana'a, the capital,” said Katherine Zimmerman of the American Enterprise Institute.

Yemen has been in chaos⁷ since last year, when anti-government protests forced longtime autocratic ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh to resign as president.

His deputy, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, took over in February and vowed⁸ to continue the battle against terrorists.

“Continuing the fighting against al-Qaida is a national and religious duty, which will make the displaced people in Abyan return to their homes,” Hadi said.

In southern Abyan Province, thousands have fled the fighting to camps in the port city of Aden, where littered streets and closed shops are signs of a crippled economy.

Fear of al-Qaida is keeping people like Salim Nasar from going home. 

“I want to return home all the time, but now Abyan is very dangerous as it is in the control of many militants," Nasar said.

Analysts worry the tide may be turning in favor of al-Qaida.

“And whether or not Yemen will be able to gain the upper hand on the AQAP still remains⁹ to be seen. It is going to definitely be an incredible challenge considering the political turmoil¹⁰ the country faces," said The Jamestown Foundation’s Jeb Boone.

In recent years the Yemen-based al-Qaida group has successfully placed bombs on three airliners¹¹ headed to the United States.

Analysts say the more success the militants have in Yemen, the more dangerous they are to the West.

“If AQAP were to turn and focus again on conducting these transnational attacks they would have a better foundation from which to do that in Yemen and that there is the threat," Zimmerman said.

And that foundation appears to be growing. 

1 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。

2 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

3 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

4 cannons   

n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cannons bombarded enemy lines. 大炮轰击了敌军阵地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One company had been furnished with six cannons. 某连队装备了六门大炮。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

6 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

7 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

8 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

11 airliners   

n.客机，班机( airliner的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The fog grounded the airliners. 大雾迫使班机停飞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They placed very stable and accurate atomic clocks on regularly scheduled jet airliners. 他们将非常稳定、准确的原子钟装在定期飞行的喷气式班机上。 来自辞典例句