VOA常速英语2008年-US Official Says Afghan Government Controls Onl

By Deborah Tate
Capitol Hill
27 February 2008

The U.S. Director of National Intelligence, Michael McConnell, says the Afghan government controls only 30 percent of the country. His assessment¹ came in testimony² to a Senate panel Wednesday, as VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.

Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell told the Senate Armed Services Committee that a recent review by the U.S. intelligence community shows that the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai controls just under one-third of the country.

McConnell said most of Afghanistan is under local tribal³ control, while a small portion is under the control of the Taliban.

"The Taliban was able to control with the population in the area about 10, 11 percent of the country," said McConnell. "The government, on the other hand, the federal government, had about 30, 31 percent, and the rest was local control."

It was a sober assessment from the nation's top intelligence official, coming more than six years after U.S. forces invaded Afghanistan to oust⁴ the Taliban and allow for the creation of a stable central government.

McConnell said the drug trade is one of Afghanistan's greatest long-term challenges.

"The insidious⁵ effects of drug-related criminality continue to undercut the abilities of the government to assert its authority, develop strong rule of law-based systems for governance, and build the economy," he said. "The Taliban, operating in poppy-growing regions of the country, gain at least some financial support through their ties to the local opium⁶ traffickers."

Defense⁷ Intelligence Agency director, Lieutenant⁸ General Michael Maples⁹, told the Senate panel the intelligence community believes al-Qaida has expanded its support to the Afghan insurgency¹⁰.

Maples said the government of Pakistan is working to crack down on the tribal areas along the Afghan border, which he says have been providing sanctuary¹¹ to al-Qaida and the Taliban. But he says the effort has had little success.

"Pakistani military operations in the federally-administered tribal areas [FATA] have had limited effect on al-Qaida," said General Maples. "Pakistan recognizes the threat and the need to develop more effective counter-insurgency, counterterrorism capabilities¹² to complement¹³ their conventional forces. Pakistan has adopted a military, political, administrative¹⁴ and economic strategy focused on the FATA."

Maples and National Intelligence Director McConnell appeared on Capitol Hill to discuss the intelligence community's annual assessment of worldwide threats to U.S. national security. They said al-Qaida remains¹⁵ a significant threat to the United States and its interests abroad.

1 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？

2 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

3 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

4 oust   

vt.剥夺，取代，驱逐

参考例句：

• The committee wanted to oust him from the union.委员会想把他从工会中驱逐出去。
• The leaders have been ousted from power by nationalists.这些领导人被民族主义者赶下了台。

5 insidious   

adj.阴险的，隐匿的，暗中为害的，（疾病）不知不觉之间加剧

参考例句：

• That insidious man bad-mouthed me to almost everyone else.那个阴险的家伙几乎见人便说我的坏话。
• Organized crime has an insidious influence on all who come into contact with it.所有和集团犯罪有关的人都会不知不觉地受坏影响。

6 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。

7 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。

8 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。

9 maples   

槭树，枫树( maple的名词复数 )； 槭木

参考例句：

• There are many maples in the park. 公园里有好多枫树。
• The wind of the autumn colour the maples carmine . 秋风给枫林涂抹胭红。

10 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

11 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

12 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

13 complement   

n.补足物，船上的定员；补语；vt.补充，补足

参考例句：

• The two suggestions complement each other.这两条建议相互补充。
• They oppose each other also complement each other.它们相辅相成。

14 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

15 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。