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VOA标准英语2009年-Gates: 16-Month Iraq Timetable Just One Option

时间:2009-02-19 06:43:35

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U.S. Defense1 Secretary Robert Gates says President Barack Obama's plan to withdraw U.S. combat troops from Iraq in 16 months is one of the options currently being studied at the Pentagon.
 
US Sec. of Defense Robert Gates (left) with Joint2 Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen

Secretary Gates told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday that since the November presidential election, the military has been working on a variety of options to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq.

"From really ever since the election, we have been looking at several options, and obviously 16 months is one of them. We are very aware of what the president has said and we have an obligation and a responsibility to provide him with a range of options that include the one that he has spoken about," he said.

The U.S. has more than 140,000 troops in Iraq. President Obama has promised to withdraw combat forces within 16 months, although he has said some troops will remain to fight terrorist cells, train Iraqi soldiers and provide security.

Some American military commanders say the United States needs to be careful about withdrawing troops from Iraq too quickly, saying progress there is fragile and could be reversed.

The defense secretary's remarks come one day after Mr. Obama met with top military leaders and told them to draft additional plans to execute a drawdown of soldiers in Iraq. A statement released after the meeting did not include a specific timetable.

U.S. Navy Admiral Michael Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and principle military advisor3 to the president, says he and Mr. Obama discussed a deliberate and rapid process to look at a responsible withdrawal4 of troops from Iraq.

"We have worked this very hard. We have planned an awful lot of options, but there will need to be additional meetings and engagements to work our way through the fullness of both Iraq and Afghanistan, hear from the Joint Chiefs, which is what the president has said he would do as well," he said.

President Obama supports a plan to nearly double the number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, where violence has increased in recent months.

Late last year, NATO defense ministers gave new guidance to commanders to attack those involved in Afghanistan's illegal narcotics5 trade who are providing financial support to the insurgents6.

Secretary Gates says he has given U.S. troops permission to do the same thing.

"We clearly have to go after the drug labs and the drug lords that provide support to the Taliban and to other insurgents. I have signed off on a change in the rules of engagement for our own forces. If we have evidence that the drug labs and drug lords are supporting the Taliban, then they are fair game," he said.

Gates also says the goals the United States has had for Afghanistan are too broad and are oriented too far into the future.

"And we need more concrete goals that can be achieved realistically within three to five years in terms of reestablishing control in certain areas, providing security for the population, going after al-Qaida, preventing the reestablishment of terrorism, better performance in terms of delivery of services to the people, some very concrete things," he said.

The United States has some 33,000 ground forces in Afghanistan. President Obama is expected to support adding up to 30,000 more troops this year as his administration shifts America's military focus from Iraq to Afghanistan.


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1 defense AxbxB     
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。
2 joint m3lx4     
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。
3 advisor JKByk     
n.顾问,指导老师,劝告者
参考例句:
  • They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
  • The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。
4 withdrawal Cfhwq     
n.取回,提款;撤退,撤军;收回,撤销
参考例句:
  • The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
  • They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。
5 narcotics 6c5fe7d3dc96f0626f1c875799f8ddb1     
n.麻醉药( narcotic的名词复数 );毒品;毒
参考例句:
  • The use of narcotics by teenagers is a problem in many countries. 青少年服用麻醉药在许多国家中都是一个问题。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • Police shook down the club, looking for narcotics. 警方彻底搜查了这个俱乐部,寻找麻醉品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 insurgents c68be457307815b039a352428718de59     
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

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