2006年VOA标准英语-Pentagon Says Iraq Violence Must Be Controlled

By Al Pessin
Pentagon
01 September 2006

A quarterly report by the U.S. Defense¹ Department on the situation in Iraq says sectarian tension and attacks on civilians² increased during the summer, in spite of progress toward building the new security forces.  The report says concern about the outbreak of civil war is increasing among both Iraqis and foreign analysts³, but it says civil war can still be avoided if the current effort to reduce the violence succeeds.  VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.

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		wreckage4 of a car bomb, in Baghdad, Iraq, 30 August 2006" src="/upimg/allimg/070418/0906050.jpg" width="210" border="0" /> Iraqi policemen inspect the wreckage of a car bomb, in Baghdad, Iraq, 30 August 2006

The report, required by congress, says the number of weekly attacks by all groups is up 23.5 percent, and the number of casualties among Iraqi civilians is up 51 percent.  It says much of the violence is in or near Baghdad, but it is spreading and threatens the effectiveness of the Iraqi government.

Assistant Secretary of Defense Peter Rodman says the 'dynamic' of the conflict changed during the last three months, with Al-Qaida and Saddamists becoming less prominent while sectarian violence has grown. "It's a pretty sober report this time,” said Rodman.  “The last quarter, as you know, it's been rough and the levels of violence are up and the sectarian quality of the violence is particularly acute and disturbing."

The report says the number of attacks leveled off in July at about 24 per day, but it also says sectarian violence is spreading north from Baghdad into Diyala and Kirkuk provinces.  One of the senior military officers who worked on the report, Rear Admiral William Sullivan, says the surge of sectarian violence has made the situation in Iraq more difficult than it has ever been.

"The commanders on the ground would describe it as probably the most complex security environment that they've seen since the war began," said Sullivan.

According to the report, killings⁵ of Iraqi civilians have increased sharply, but it says most of those killings are targeted assassinations⁶.  It also accuses Iran and Syria of fueling the sectarian strife⁷.

But the report disputes statements by some analysts and politicians that Iraq is in the midst of a civil war.  Officials note that the new Iraqi security forces are remaining loyal to the government.  And the report says while the current conditions could lead to a civil war, that can be prevented if the cycle of violence is broken. 

That is the goal of the current security operation in Baghdad, and Admiral Sullivan says it is having some success, although he says violence spiked⁸ again last weekend and into this week. 

According to Friday's report, the sectarian militias⁹ have considerable support, with many Iraqis seeing them as protectors and providers of essential services.

One U.S. officer involved in the Baghdad security effort, Colonel Thomas Vail, said Friday he believes that is changing and the current U.S. and Iraqi operation is eroding¹⁰ support for the militias.

"Well it will decline, and it already has,” said Vail.  “We have lots of tips on insurgents¹¹ from the population.  We have atmospherics and metrics that show that there is a level of animosity towards the insurgents and the population is standing¹² up for themselves and taking action to assist Iraqi security forces in this entire operation."

Colonel Vail says successes in his region of eastern Baghdad make him optimistic that a civil war will be averted¹³.

The Pentagon report also notes progress in developing Iraq's security forces, with notable increases in both their numbers and their capabilities¹⁴.  And it says the insurgents have failed in what it calls their 'primary objectives,' including derailing the political process and raising public support for their own agendas. 

But U.S. officials acknowledged on Friday that politics, security and the economy are intertwined, and they say no sector¹⁵ will make much progress without the others.  They say that's why they and their Iraqi counterparts have made restoring security, especially in Baghdad, the current top priority.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 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。

3 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

4 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

5 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。

6 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

7 strife   

n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争

参考例句：

• We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。
• Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。

8 spiked   

adj.有穗的；成锥形的；有尖顶的

参考例句：

• The editor spiked the story. 编辑删去了这篇报道。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They wondered whether their drinks had been spiked. 他们有些疑惑自己的饮料里是否被偷偷搀了烈性酒。 来自辞典例句

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

10 eroding   

侵蚀，腐蚀( erode的现在分词 )； 逐渐毁坏，削弱，损害

参考例句：

• The coast is slowly eroding. 海岸正慢慢地被侵蚀。
• Another new development is eroding the age-old stereotype of the male warrior. 另一个新现象是，久已形成的男人皆武士的形象正逐渐消失。

11 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

12 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

13 averted   

防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移

参考例句：

• A disaster was narrowly averted. 及时防止了一场灾难。
• Thanks to her skilful handling of the affair, the problem was averted. 多亏她对事情处理得巧妙，才避免了麻烦。

14 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

15 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。