2006年VOA标准英语-Somali Troops, Islamist Fighters Continue to Cl

By Cathy Majtenyi
Nairobi
22 December 2006

In Somalia, Islamist fighters and government troops continue to battle each other near the government stronghold of Baidoa, with each side claiming to have killed hundreds of troops of the other side's. Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi.

A Somali government soldier guards a path in Moode Moode, a town nine miles from Baidoa, 22 Dec 2006

Reports in the media, which could not be independently verified by VOA, quote witnesses as saying they have seen Ethiopian army tanks and helicopters moving near the town of Baidoa, home to Somalia's transitional government.

Islamist fighters were also reportedly making their way to Baidoa as hundreds of people fled the area to the capital Mogadishu.

Islamic and government troops - that many say are being backed by Ethiopia - have been clashing in locations outside of Baidoa for the fourth day running, exchanging artillery¹ fire.

A freelance broadcast journalist based in Mogadishu, Mohammed Olad Hassan, tells VOA that a minister from the transitional government told him that government troops had killed 200 Islamist fighters and wounded 100.

Meanwhile, he says, Islamists Thursday said they have killed 200 Ethiopian soldiers.

"Each side is claiming to have the upper hand, and it's very difficult to find out the exact information on the ground because movements of civilians³ and non-military movements including journalists were restricted," he said. "So critical information is hard to come by from the front line."

Hassan says he attended an Islamic Courts Union press conference Friday where Islamists said they have defeated Ethiopian soldiers, but did not give details on the number of casualties inflicted⁴.

At the press conference, says Hassan, Islamic officials said that, as of Friday, they vowed⁵ to attack Ethiopians wherever they are in the country, and chided the international community for ignoring events in Somalia.

For its part, Ethiopia has denied the presence of combat troops in Somalia to support the government, admitting to a small number of military advisors⁶ in Somalia there to train the government army.

Hassan says he has heard of very few civilian² casualties in the fighting.

"During military build-up around the area, during weeks of military build-up, most of the residents around the front line fled from their homes expecting that the fighting could engulf⁷ at any time," he said. "That's why civilian casualties is very, very low."

Earlier this year, the Islamic Courts Union seized control of the capital and other areas before reaching a truce⁸ with the government

Negotiations⁹ between Somalia's transitional government and the Islamic Courts Union collapsed¹⁰ in Sudan on November 2.

Those talks were meant to finalize¹¹ an interim¹² peace accord that the two sides signed in September that, among other things, called for the creation of a joint¹³ national army and police force.

The Islamists said they would not continue the negotiations until all Ethiopian troops that are supporting the transitional government leave Somalia.

Ever since civil war broke out in 1991, militias¹⁴ loyal to clan¹⁵ and sub-clan-based factions¹⁶ have controlled different parts of the country, with no central authority to provide law and order and even basic services to the population.

A transitional Somali parliament was formed in Kenya more than a year ago following a peace process.

1 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

2 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

3 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。

4 inflicted   

把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They inflicted a humiliating defeat on the home team. 他们使主队吃了一场很没面子的败仗。
• Zoya heroically bore the torture that the Fascists inflicted upon her. 卓娅英勇地承受法西斯匪徒加在她身上的酷刑。

5 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

6 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

7 engulf   

vt.吞没，吞食

参考例句：

• Floodwaters engulf a housing project in the Bajo Yuna community in central Dominican Republic.洪水吞没了多米尼加中部巴杰优那社区的一处在建的住房工程项目。
• If we are not strong enough to cover all the minds up,then they will engulf us,and we are in danger.如果我们不够坚强来抵挡大众的意念，就会有被他们吞没的危险。

8 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

9 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

10 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。

11 finalize   

v.落实，定下来

参考例句：

• Let us finalize tonight.让我们今天晚上干完
• 。At the same time,industrial designers work with engineers to finalize components and assembly.同时，工业设计师和工程师一道来完成部件和组装部分的工作。

12 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

13 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。

14 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

15 clan   

n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派

参考例句：

• She ranks as my junior in the clan.她的辈分比我小。
• The Chinese Christians,therefore,practically excommunicate themselves from their own clan.所以，中国的基督徒简直是被逐出了自己的家族了。

16 factions   

组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gens also lives on in the "factions." 氏族此外还继续存在于“factions〔“帮”〕中。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• rival factions within the administration 政府中的对立派别