2006年VOA标准英语-US Military: About 2,000 Troops Being Moved Int

By Al Pessin
Pentagon
29 November 2006

The top U.S. military officer confirmed Wednesday that additional U.S. troops are being moved into Baghdad from other parts of Iraq to try to help get the security situation in the capital under control. The U.S. troops would make up for a shortfall in Iraqi forces that were supposed to be involved in the security operation, but the U.S. general says the effort to find more Iraqi troops for the capital is continuing. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.

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General Peter Pace

The chairman of the Joint¹ Chiefs of Staff, General Peter Pace, says the troop movement was ordered by the top U.S. commander in Iraq, General George Casey.

"I won't predict from here how big and how long," said General Pace. "But I can tell you that is very much a part of the dialogue in Baghdad and here in Washington."

The U.S. Army says two battalions² are being moved into Baghdad from northern Iraq. That would involve about 2,000 troops. But the officials say the soldiers will, at least in part, replace others who are scheduled to leave for home.

General Pace acknowledged Wednesday that the security operation in Baghdad in recent months has not been as effective as commanders had hoped. That has been partly because the Iraqi army has not been able to provide as many troops for the operation as had been planned.

But General Pace denied reports that all the U.S. marines will be withdrawn³ from al Anbar Province to help in Baghdad. He said the United States is not giving up on any part of Iraq. And he said U.S. and Iraqi officials are continuing to try to identify Iraqi military units that can be brought into the fight against insurgents⁴ and sectarian militias⁵ in Baghdad, without creating any security vacuums in other parts of the country.

"Collectively they are looking at where there are additional Iraqi security forces that could be moved to Baghdad to help stabilize⁶ the situation there," he said.

General Pace noted⁷ that some Iraqi Army units were formed along regional and sectarian lines, and that moving them to other parts of the country could exacerbate⁸ tensions. He says that makes it more difficult to find Iraqi units to move to Baghdad.

The general also described an extensive strategic and tactical review he is leading, involving senior U.S. military officers and commanders who have just ended tours of duty in Iraq. He said the review provides recommendations every week, both to policy makers⁹ and to field commanders, but he disputed media reports that the process is leading to any particular recommendation on U.S. troop levels in Iraq.

"It's been reported that we're looking at beefing up," said General Pace. "It was reportered that we're looking at 'skinnying' down. As you would expect your military planners to do, we are looking at the whole spectrum¹⁰ of possible military actions."

General Pace says the military recommendations go to President Bush, along with advice from other sources, including the Iraq Study Group, which is expected to issue its long-awaited report next month.

The general was also asked to weigh into the debate on whether the ongoing¹¹ violence in Iraq constitutes a civil war.

"It's much more important that we focus on how to defeat the enemy that is trying to create the civil war than it is we spend a lot of time 'dancing on the head of a pin' as far as what particular words we should use to describe the environment, which is currently unacceptable," he said.

But General Pace indicated he does not think Iraq is in a state of civil war. He said al-Qaida insurgents are trying to generate a level of violence that would make the country ungovernable, but he says they have so far not succeeded in doing so.

1 joint   

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。

2 battalions   

n.（陆军的）一营（大约有一千兵士）( battalion的名词复数 )；协同作战的部队；军队；（组织在一起工作的）队伍

参考例句：

• God is always on the side of the strongest battalions. 上帝总是帮助强者。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Two battalions were disposed for an attack on the air base. 配置两个营的兵力进攻空军基地。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

4 insurgents   

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

5 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

6 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

7 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。

8 exacerbate   

v.恶化，增剧，激怒，使加剧

参考例句：

• WMO says a warming climate can exacerbate air pollution.世界气象组织说，气候变暖可能会加剧空气污染。
• In fact efforts will merely exacerbate the current problem.实际上努力只会加剧当前的问题。

9 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

11 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。