VOA常速英语2007年-Turkey Claims Success Against Kurdish Rebels

By Michael Bowman
Washington
25 December 2007

Turkey says recent military strikes against Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq have succeeded in killing¹ hundreds of militants² and destroying facilities and hideouts used by the rebels. VOA's Michael Bowman has details from Washington.

On December 16, Turkey carried out its largest military operation in years against rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK, launching a massive air assault followed by a ground incursion into Iraqi territory. Last Saturday, Turkey conducted further air strikes, targeting the Kurdish militants. Turkey, The European Union, and the United States regard the PKK as a terrorist organization.

On Tuesday, Turkish military authorities released their assessment³ of the campaign, saying between 150 and 175 Kurdish rebels were killed in the initial air assault. That figure does not include militants killed in caves and other hideouts. Turkey says scores of rebels were wounded and taken to hospitals in northern Iraq.

A statement from Turkey's military says warplanes and artillery⁴ struck more than 200 individual targets, including rebel command posts, training camps, weapons storage facilities, and hideouts. Turkey has released photographs and video footage of the military operation showing destroyed buildings and other structures.

Active for more than 20 years, the PKK has been fighting for Kurdish self-rule in southeastern Turkey. Operating from northern Iraq, the group has mounted attacks inside Turkey, which, along with Iraq, is home to a large Kurdish population. Tens of thousands of people are believed to have died in the decades-old conflict.

Iraq has condemned⁵ Turkey's military offensive as a violation⁶ of its sovereignty. The Bush administration neither criticized nor endorsed⁷ the Turkish strikes, but has said it is sharing intelligence with Turkey on the PKK.

Two months ago, Turkey's parliament authorized⁸ military operations in Iraq to combat Kurdish rebels. Turkey says the U.S. military cleared airspace over northern Iraq to facilitate the strikes.

1 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

2 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

3 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

4 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

5 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

6 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

7 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。