2007年VOA标准英语-British Military Commanders Recommend Prompt Wi

By Tom Rivers
London
19 August 2007

London's Independent on Sunday newspaper says two senior British generals have told Prime Minister Gordon Brown that Britain has accomplished¹ what it can in southern Iraq and that moves toward a full withdrawal² should be made without further delay. For the VOA, Tom Rivers has details from London.

Iraq's PM Nuri al-Maliki, left, with Britain's Gordon Brown in Baghdad (File Photo - 11 June 2007)

 Prior to the invasion in 2003, the British Army's stated war aims were to bring stability and democracy to Iraq and to the Middle East as a whole. But the Independent on Sunday newspaper says the main priority now is an orderly withdrawal that will leave the army's reputation reasonably intact and allow Britain to retain its status as a "credible³ ally" of the United States.

Those changes appear to represent a drastic downsizing of Britain's goals.

The two generals, who the newspaper did not name, said they would like to see Basra Palace handed over to Iraqi control by the end of August.

Some 500 British soldiers are stationed at the palace which is reportedly subjected to daily rocket and mortar⁴ strikes.

If that withdrawal can be accomplished in the next few weeks, that would leave around 5,000 British troops at Basra airport.

In July, after meeting with U.S. President George Bush, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said British troops will stay in Iraq until their mission is complete. The prime minister is expected to outline to parliament his overall Iraq withdrawal plans in October. Many expect to see remaining British forces pulled out in the months following that announcement.

One hundred sixty eight British service personnel have died in Iraq since the 2003 invasion and the war is unpopular in Britain.

Another factor affecting government thinking is the feeling that the British military is overstretched. Most military analysts⁵ say Britain can handle extended deployments in either Iraq or Afghanistan, but not both.

The head of the British Army, General Richard Dannatt, on a tour of soldiers in southern Afghanistan, told the BBC that troop strength in Afghanistan has reached its limit.

"The army is certainly stretched and when I say that we cannot deploy⁶ anymore battle groups at the present moment, that is because we are trying to get a reasonable balance of life for our people between time deployed⁷, time on training and time in barracks," he said. "Currently, the time in barracks is not as much as I would like."

Since 2001, 70 British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan. General Dannatt expects British forces to be in Afghanistan for years to come.

1 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

2 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

3 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

4 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。

5 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。

6 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

7 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。