VOA慢速英语2021--美国撤军将给阿富汗留下问题

This week, the administration of President Joe Biden announced an unconditional¹ troop withdrawal² from Afghanistan by September 11. Some experts say the move could take away power from both Taliban rebels and the Afghan government. It might even force them into a peace deal.

The Taliban and Afghan government have been refusing to move toward a power-sharing deal. The Taliban continues its violence. And the Afghan president refuses to negotiate unless he is guaranteed the presidency³.

With its announcement, the United States is making it clear that U.S. troops are leaving, no matter what happens in the country.

Biden announced Wednesday that the 2,500 US troops in Afghanistan will depart by the 20th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks that led to the U.S. action in 2001.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Thursday. He is there to talk to Afghan leaders, and the Afghan people, about Biden's decision.

"I wanted to demonstrate with my visit the ongoing⁴ to commitment of the United States to the Islamic Republic and the people of Afghanistan," Blinken said. He was with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the presidential palace in Kabul.

Still, there are growing fears that Afghanistan will collapse⁵ into civil war, or worse, after U.S. troops leave.

Already, violence has increased since former U.S. President Donald Trump's administration reached an agreement with the Taliban in February 2020. In that agreement, the U.S. promised to withdraw by May 1.

The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan reports that more than 1,700 civilians⁶ were killed or wounded in attacks in the first three months of 2021. That is an increase of 23 percent from the same period last year.

On Wednesday, the Biden administration announced new rules for the withdrawal. It said it would begin pulling out its remaining 2,500 troops on May 1 and complete the withdrawal by September 11. NATO announced it would also begin a withdrawal of nearly 10,000 troops from the country.

The Biden Administration appears to believe it can deal with Afghanistan from outside the country. The aim is to ensure that the country will never again become a home for terrorists that attack the United States.

The U.S. continues to hope for a peace deal in the country. It is pushing the Taliban and the Afghan government to reach a peace agreement during an April 24 to May 4 conference in Turkey.

However, it is not clear if the Taliban will attend.

After Biden's announcement, the Taliban said it would not attend any conference on Afghanistan's future while foreign troops are still in the country.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said that if the earlier May 1 deadline is not met, "problems will be compounded."

The Taliban control about half of Afghanistan. But they need a peace deal to be recognized internationally, something they are seeking.

The United States has warned that the Taliban will not get that recognition if they are not part of a new government. The conference in Turkey lends international support to that warning.

The largest barrier to peace, however, may be the great hatred⁷ between the Taliban and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

Ghani has promised to seek peace. He placed a message on Twitter late Wednesday that he had spoken with President Biden and "we will work with our U.S. partners to ensure a smooth transition."

Earlier, Ghani had proposed a peace deal that called for him to head a temporary government until new elections could be held. The Taliban rejected the idea, as did many Afghan politicians.

Ghani's government has been denounced for corruption⁸ and politics that divides people. He has permitted armed leaders throughout Afghanistan to get rich and build large militias⁹.

Afghans say the U.S. and NATO troop presence has kept these warlords from fighting each other. Controlling militias will be even harder if Afghanistan's government fails.

Michael Kugelman is the deputy director of the Asia Program at the U.S.-based Wilson Center. He said: "The best hope is that the peace process won't be dead."

Words in This Story

commitment – n. a promise to do or give something

compound – v. to make something worse; to add to

ensure – v. to make sure something happens

transition – n. a change from one state to another

1 unconditional   

adj.无条件的，无限制的，绝对的

参考例句：

• The victorious army demanded unconditional surrender.胜方要求敌人无条件投降。
• My love for all my children is unconditional.我对自己所有孩子的爱都是无条件的。

2 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。

3 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

4 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

5 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

6 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。

7 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

8 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

9 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