VOA常速英语2007年-Afghan, NATO Forces Kill More than 50 Taliban i

By Daniel Schearf
Islamabad
12 December 2007

Afghanistan's Defense¹ Ministry² says Afghan and NATO forces have killed more than 50 Taliban fighters after they fled from the southern Afghan town of Musa Qala. Afghan and NATO forces re-took the town after months of Taliban control, but a NATO spokesman says they will likely still face resistance from the Taliban. Daniel Schearf reports from Islamabad.

The Defense Ministry says Afghan military forces, backed up by NATO air support, killed the Taliban fighters during a two-day battle in Sangin, a town just south of Musa Qala.

The Taliban were attempting a counter-attack from Sangin after thousands of Afghan and NATO soldiers forced them to flee Musa Qala this week during several days of heavy fighting.

Major Charles Anthony is deputy spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Forces in Afghanistan. He says even though the Taliban's counter-attack failed, the area is not yet fully³ secure and more fighting is likely.

"We believe there will be continued pockets of resistance by Taliban in Musa Qala," he said. "We have met a few small pockets of resistance, but clearly the situation has stabilized⁴ for the most part. Clearly most of the Taliban fled Musa Qala for other areas including Sangin."

Musa Qala and Sangin are in Afghanistan's southern province of Helmand, which produces half the world's opium⁵ supply.

The Taliban had controlled Musa Qala since February after British forces turned security over to local elders in a controversial deal that quickly fell apart.

Musa Qala was the only major town controlled by the Taliban and was a center of heroin⁶ production. Its recovery is a symbolic⁷ victory for the still developing Afghan army and for stretched NATO forces.

But the Islamic militant⁸ group still controls other parts of Helmand and continues to launch guerilla and suicide attacks. These have helped make this year the bloodiest⁹ in Afghanistan, since the overthrow¹⁰ of the Taliban in 2001.

An estimated 6,000 people have been killed in the past year of fighting.

The offensive to take back Musa Qala began as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited Afghanistan last week. He promised more support for Afghan security and economic development.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates also visited Afghanistan last week. He told the U.S. Congress on Tuesday that a European envoy¹¹ to Afghanistan would soon be appointed to oversee¹² aid and reconstruction¹³ efforts.

Gates said NATO should provide more troops in Afghanistan to deal with the rising violence.

Joint¹⁴ Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen also told Congress the U.S. military was stretched because of operations in Iraq.

The United States has 26,000 troops in Afghanistan and about half of them are part of NATO's 40,000-member force. There are 160,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq.

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 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

3 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

4 stabilized   

v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The patient's condition stabilized. 患者的病情稳定下来。
• His blood pressure has stabilized. 他的血压已经稳定下来了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 opium   

n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的

参考例句：

• That man gave her a dose of opium.那男人给了她一剂鸦片。
• Opium is classed under the head of narcotic.鸦片是归入麻醉剂一类的东西。

6 heroin   

n.海洛因

参考例句：

• Customs have made their biggest ever seizure of heroin.海关查获了有史以来最大的一批海洛因。
• Heroin has been smuggled out by sea.海洛因已从海上偷运出境。

7 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

8 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

9 bloodiest   

adj.血污的( bloody的最高级 )；流血的；屠杀的；残忍的

参考例句：

• The Russians were going to suffer their bloodiest defeat of all before Berlin. 俄国人在柏林城下要遭到他们的最惨重的失败。 来自辞典例句
• It was perhaps the bloodiest hour in the history of warfare. 这也许是战争史上血腥味最浓的1个小时。 来自互联网

10 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

11 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

12 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

13 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

14 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。