2006年VOA标准英语-US Adds 700 Troops to Iraq Force

By Al Pessin
Pentagon
15 March 2006
 
The U.S. military has temporarily sent about 700 additional troops into Iraq to help provide security for observances of a Muslim holiday that falls next Monday, and for the first meeting of Iraq's new parliament, which is scheduled for Sunday.  

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US soldiers secure area after car bomb in (March 2006 file photo) 
  

A statement issued by the coalition¹ command in Baghdad says the battalion² was sent in from Kuwait, where it was part of a force ready to respond to any security needs in Iraq on short notice.  The statement says the additional troops are needed for what it calls a "short-term deployment³," as part of a broader effort by Iraqi and coalition forces to improve security for Sunday's first session of the new Iraqi parliament and Monday's Arba'een holiday.

The 40-day period from the Ashura holiday to Arba'een is a particularly tense time for Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims because it recalls the killings⁴ that caused the split in the religion more than 1,300 years ago.  The killings took place in the Iraqi city of Karbala, and Shi'ites traditionally make pilgrimages to the town during this holiday. 

The holiday period has coincided with increased sectarian violence in Iraq in recent years, and particularly this year.  Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman says the additional troop deployment in Baghdad is part of the coalition's response.

"We've witnessed a certain amount of secular⁵ fighting that has been going on," he says. "This is a religious holiday.  I think that the commanders on the ground are certainly going to take that into consideration as they plan for setting the conditions for the peaceful observance."

The additional deployment comes as the coalition commander, General George Casey, is considering whether to recommend a further reduction in overall U.S. troop strength in Iraq.  The general's recommendation is expected in the next two to three months.  There are currently about 133,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, following a reduction of about 5,000 earlier this year.

General Casey's boss, Central Command chief General John Abizaid, told a congressional committee Wednesday that the recent increase in sectarian violence is worrying, but he believes Iraqi society can get through it.

"I think the worst case is that you move toward civil war because the government can't come together.  And if the government can't come together, you then have to be concerned about whether or not the armed forces will stay together, and the other institutions," he said. "But I think we're an awful long ways away from that."

General Abizaid stressed that the key to getting Iraq through this difficult period, and to continuing the progress in building its security forces, is the formation of a national unity⁶ government.  He said he believes such a government will emerge from the current political squabbling. 

1 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。

2 battalion   

n.营；部队；大队(的人)

参考例句：

• The town was garrisoned by a battalion.该镇由一营士兵驻守。
• At the end of the drill parade,the battalion fell out.操练之后，队伍解散了。

3 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

4 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

5 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

6 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。