2006年VOA标准英语-Zarqawi's Death and the Iraqi Insurgency

By Peter Fedynsky
Washington, DC
09 June 2006
 
watch Zarqawi Update

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qaida in Iraq leader, was killed Wednesday in a U.S. air strike. In recent years, the Jordanian-born Zarqawi came to Iraq to wage a terror campaign in a country already awash in violence. However, Zarqawi and Iraq's various insurgents¹ did not share a common vision.

------------------------------------------------

In announcing al-Zarqawi's death, President Bush said the terrorist was killed by U.S. Special Operations forces acting² on tips and intelligence from Iraqis. Bush said Zarqawi sought to defeat America and its coalition³ partners and to turn Iraq into a haven⁴ where al-Qaida could wage war on free nations.

 

President Bush speaks about the death of al-Qaida in Iraq's leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi   
  

President Bush said, "To achieve these ends, he worked to divide Iraqis and incite⁵ civil war. Only last week he released an audiotape attacking Iraq's elected leaders and denouncing those advocating the end of sectarianism."

Zarqawi's deadly legacy⁶ includes bombings, assassinations⁷, suicide attacks, kidnappings, and beheadings. He also spread Internet messages calling upon Islamic extremists to join a "jihad," or holy war, which he tried to foment⁸ in Iraq.

Reactions to his death in his hometown of Zarqa, Jordan were mixed.

"Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his group claim that the crimes they are doing are related to Islamic values. Actually they are not," said one resident.

Another resident said Zarqawi's fate rests with God. "We do not know if he was fighting for Islam or his beliefs. If he was fighting for Islam may God let his soul rest in peace,” he said. “If he was not, God will judge him."

In an attempt to drive a wedge between Iraq's Shia and Sunni communities, Zarqawi, a Sunni Muslim, denounced Shias as "traitors⁹" and "snakes." 

 
Nora Bensahel 
  
However, Middle East expert Nora Bensahel of the Rand Corporation think-tank in Washington, D.C. says Zarqawi was not concerned about Iraq as a nation.

"Zarqawi didn't have a vision for what a future Iraq should look like that was about Iraq,” Bensahel said. “Iraq was a player in a broader global struggle and that's not something that either the Sunni or the Shia communities inside Iraq see themselves as. They are concerned about the future of their own country."

Just as he tried to exploit Iraq's sectarian divide, Bensahel says Zarqawi sought to topple the new Iraqi government, which he considered to be an American creation. President Bush said the Iraqi government participated in the hunt for Zarqawi  -- a fact Bensahel says is important.

"This is something that the new government can really claim as a major success, and it is something which may well unite particularly moderates among Sunni and Shia communities,” she said. “Someone who had come into their country from outside and caused such destruction and such pain is now no longer going to be able to do that anymore.”

The death of Zarqawi is not expected to quickly decrease the level of violence in Iraq. Former American ambassador to that country, David Newton, says peace is up to the Iraqis themselves.

"The real issue in Iraq is the question of sectarianism, and whether Iraqi identity can win out in the end over sectarian identities,” he said. “The real question is reducing the Sunni insurgency¹⁰ and also trying to reduce the retaliatory¹¹ Shia insurgency. That task is really more for the Iraqis than for the Americans."

President Bush says there are tough days still ahead in Iraq, but he says Zarqawi's death renews confidence that terrorism will be defeated.

1 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

2 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

3 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。

4 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

5 incite   

v.引起，激动，煽动

参考例句：

• I wanted to point out he was a very good speaker, and could incite a crowd.我想说明他曾是一个非常出色的演讲家，非常会调动群众的情绪。
• Just a few words will incite him into action.他只需几句话一将，就会干。

6 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

7 assassinations   

n.暗杀( assassination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Most anarchist assassinations were bungled because of haste or spontaneity, in his view. 在他看来，无政府主义者搞的许多刺杀都没成功就是因为匆忙和自发行动。 来自辞典例句
• Assassinations by Israelis of alleged terrorists habitually kill nearby women and children. 在以色列，自称恐怖分子的炸弹自杀者杀害靠近自己的以色列妇女和儿童。 来自互联网

8 foment   

v.煽动，助长

参考例句：

• The rebels know the truth and seek to foment revolution.那些叛乱者知道真相，并且想办法来挑起革命。
• That's an attempt to foment discord.这是挑拨。

9 traitors   

卖国贼( traitor的名词复数 )； 叛徒； 背叛者； 背信弃义的人

参考例句：

• Traitors are held in infamy. 叛徒为人所不齿。
• Traitors have always been treated with contempt. 叛徒永被人们唾弃。

10 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

11 retaliatory   

adj.报复的

参考例句：

• The process can take years before the WTO approves retaliatory action. 在WTO通过此行动之前，这个程序恐怕要等上一阵子了。 来自互联网
• Retaliatory tariffs on China are tantamount to taxing ourselves as a punishment. 将惩罚性关税强加于中国相当于对我们自己实施课税惩罚。 来自互联网