VOA慢速英语--Push to Oust US Troops from Iraq Considered Risky

 

Pro-Iranian groups in Iraq are leading efforts to oust¹ American military forces from the country.

The campaign is gaining strength following the American airstrike at Baghdad's airport last Friday. That attack killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia² leaders. In a vote Sunday, Iraqi lawmakers called on the government to remove the 5,200 American troops now in the country.

The path forward is unclear and observers are warning that ending the United States' 17-year military presence in Iraq carries risks.

Iraqis were starting to recover from a four-year war against the Islamic State (IS) group when mass protests against the country's rulers began October 1. The unrest led to the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi two months later. However, a replacement³ has not been made and Abdul-Mahdi remains⁴ in office.

An American troop withdrawal⁵ could affect the fight against IS militants⁶ and enable them to make a comeback. Fighters allied⁷ with the group often carry out attacks in northern and western Iraq. Iraqi forces depend on the U.S. military for weapons and equipment in their operations against them.

An American withdrawal could also enable Iran to deepen its influence in Iraq, which like Iran, is a majority Shiite country.

Ibrahim Bayram, a political observer from Lebanon, said a withdrawal will, "increase the complications inside Iraq, the conflicts and contradictions ... and the clash, both political and non-political, between the Iranians and Americans."

The vote in parliament on Sunday requires Iraqi government approval to remove the American troops. It is evidence of the worsening in relations between the countries, at a time of rising tensions between the United States and Iran.

History of U.S. troop presence

U.S. forces withdrew from Iraq in 2011 but returned in 2014 at the invitation of the government to help battle the Islamic State group. The extremists had seized large areas in the north and west of the country after Iraq's armed forces collapsed⁸. A U.S.-led coalition⁹ provided air support as Iraqi forces, including Iran-supported militias¹⁰, regrouped and drove IS out in a costly¹¹ three-year campaign.

Following the defeat of IS in 2017, pressure grew, especially among groups loyal to Iran, for the withdrawal of U.S. forces. The U.S. airstrike last week at Baghdad's airport fueled anger.

Abdul-Mahdi asked parliament on Sunday to take "urgent measures" to ensure the removal of foreign forces from the country. Many Sunni and Kurdish legislators boycotted¹² the parliament meeting. They oppose cancelling the deal with the Americans. Most of the lawmakers who voted were Shiite Muslims.

On Monday, Abdul-Mahdi met with U.S. Ambassador Matthew Tueller. A statement from the prime minister's office noted¹³ the need for the two sides "to work together to execute the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq."

In their meeting, Abdul-Mahdi said the situation in Iraq was "critical" and that all efforts were being taken to prevent "an open war."

The Iraqi parliament vote angered U.S. President Donald Trump¹⁴, who warned Iraq that he would take action if the government expelled American troops. He said the U.S. would not leave without being paid for its military investments in Iraq over the years.

"We will charge them sanctions like they've never seen before, ever. It'll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame," Trump said.

Words in This Story

complication – n. a problem or difficulty

contradiction – n. a series of statements or ides that are opposed to one another

sanction – n. a threatened punishment for disobeying a rule or law

tame – adj. not dangerous or wild

1 oust   

vt.剥夺，取代，驱逐

参考例句：

• The committee wanted to oust him from the union.委员会想把他从工会中驱逐出去。
• The leaders have been ousted from power by nationalists.这些领导人被民族主义者赶下了台。

2 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

3 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

4 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。

5 withdrawal   

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。

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 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

8 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

9 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

10 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

11 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

12 boycotted   

抵制，拒绝参加( boycott的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Athletes from several countries boycotted the Olympic Games. 有好几国的运动员抵制奥林匹克运动会。
• The opposition party earlier boycotted the Diet agenda, demanding Miyaji's resignation. 反对党曾杯葛国会议程，要宫路下台。

13 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

14 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。