2007年VOA标准英语-US General Casey Optimistic About Securing Bagh

By Jim Randle
Baghdad
19 January 2007

Defense1 Secretary Robert Gates, left, meets with Gen. George Casey, right, in Basra, 19 Jan 07  <br />" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070517/0943010.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Defense Secretary Robert Gates, left, meets with Gen. George Casey, right, in Basra, 19 Jan 07

General George Casey, the top American commander in Iraq, said Friday that some of the extra troops that U.S. President George W. Bush ordered to Baghdad could begin leaving in a few months if violence subsides². The general met with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates who is on a visit to Iraq to meet with the commanders of troops from the United States and several other nations. VOA's Jim Randle reports from Baghdad.

The outgoing U.S. military commander in Iraq, General George Casey, says a new security push involving more than 20,000 additional U.S. troops should start to show results soon.

"You are going to see some progress gradually over the next 60 to 90 days, but I think it is going to be summer, late summer (July or August), before we get to the point where people in Baghdad feel safe in their neighborhoods," he said.

His comments follow a rising tide of sectarian violence that United Nations' officials say killed 94 people a day last year in Iraq, mostly in Baghdad.

Hours before Gates arrived in Basra, six British soldiers were wounded in a series of rocket attacks on their base.

Casey met Gates in the oil-rich southern city of Basra Friday. The U.S. defense secretary is also meeting with the commander of British forces, Major General Jonathan Shaw, and conferring with commanders from Poland, Australia, Denmark, and Romania. Britain, which has the largest troop contingent³ among the U.S. allies, with 7,000 soldiers in the Basra area, is planning to withdraw a large portion of them this year.

Gates praised the United States and other coalition⁴ troops but said the stakes in Iraq are incredibly high.

"Whatever one's views about how we got to this point in Iraq at this pivotal moment, there is widespread agreement here that failure would be a calamity⁵ for American national interest and those of many other countries as well. Given what is at stake, failure is not an option," he said.

This is the second time Gates has visited Iraq since becoming U.S. defense secretary last month. On this trip, he also made stops in Afghanistan, and several Arab nations.

Meanwhile, Iraqi and U.S. forces detained a top aide to radical⁶ Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Al-Sadr's office says the man is the group's media director, Sheik Abdul Hadi al-Darraji.

But Lieutenant⁷ General Graeme Lamb, the Deputy Commander of Multinational⁸ Forces in Iraq, said he is sure they arrested the right man.

"The individual in question is someone we've been looking for," he said. "Based upon the evidence and intelligence we have, he was arrested and is currently under detention⁹."

The U.S. military calls him the leader of a group involved in kidnapping, torture, and murder.

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 subsides   

v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的第三人称单数 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上

参考例句：

• Emotion swells and subsides. 情绪忽高忽低。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His emotion swells and subsides. 他的情绪忽高忽低。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

4 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。

5 calamity   

n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件

参考例句：

• Even a greater natural calamity cannot daunt us. 再大的自然灾害也压不垮我们。
• The attack on Pearl Harbor was a crushing calamity.偷袭珍珠港(对美军来说)是一场毁灭性的灾难。

6 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

7 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

8 multinational   

adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司

参考例句：

• The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。
• He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

9 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。