VOA慢速英语2015 美国: 喀布尔近日或发生袭击

AS IT IS 2015-12-01 US Warns of 'Imminent¹' Attack in Kabul 美国: 喀布尔近日或发生袭击

Officials say they have “credible² reports of an imminent attack” on American assets in the Afghan capital Kabul.

The American Embassy released an emergency message on Monday. The message said American citizens should be very careful if traveling in the city. It said the embassy did not have “further details regarding the targets, timing³ or method of the planned attack.”

And it again warned U.S. citizens not to travel to Afghanistan.

It said “the security situation in Afghanistan is extremely unstable⁴, and the threat to all U.S. citizens in Afghanistan remains⁵ critical. U.S. citizens currently visiting or residing in Afghanistan may wish to consider departing.”

Because of increasing insecurity in Kabul, the embassy no longer lets its workers travel by vehicle. They must use helicopters instead.

Workers at embassies of other countries and international aid groups have put similar policies in place. They want to decrease their vulnerability to attacks as they travel among secure parts of the city.

On Saturday morning, a senior Afghan election official survived a suicide bombing against his vehicle in Kabul that killed his driver and wounded a guard. The reason for the attack is not known.

But Taliban militants⁶ have increased their attacks on Afghan security forces and government officials. The attacks are believed to be part of the Taliban’s violent anti-government campaign across the country.

The embassy releases emergency warnings often. But this warning was released as the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan were expected to meet in Paris at a United Nations gathering⁷ on climate change.

If the meeting between Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani takes place, it could be an important first step in peace talks with the Taliban. Pakistan is working with leaders of the group and Afghan government officials to reach an agreement to end the fighting in Afghanistan. 

Words in This Story

assets -- n. people and facilities, in this case

credible – adj. able to be believed; reasonable to trust or believe

imminent – adj. happening very soon

facilities – n. something (such as a building or large piece of equipment) that is built for a specific purpose

vulnerable – adj. open to attack, harm or damage

secure – adj. protected from danger or harm; guarded so that no one can enter or leave without approval

1 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。

2 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

3 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

4 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

5 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。

6 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。

7 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。