VOA常速英语2008年-Security Has Improved, but Iraq Remains a Dange

By Daniel Schearf
Irbil
17 March 2008

Five years after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, officials say the situation in the country has vastly improved - if only in the last year. But human rights organizations say abuses are widespread, and most Iraqis still lack access to basic services. Moreover, there are concerns about how permanent recent security gains will be. Daniel Schearf reports for VOA from the northern Iraqi city of Irbil.

The U.S. military says a surge in U.S. and Iraqi troops, cooperation with Sunni militias², and a cease-fire by a large Shi'ite militia¹ have brought security improvements to broad areas of Iraq.

Thirty thousand U.S. troops and over 100,000 Iraqi police and soldiers were added to security forces last year. Over the last nine months, according to the U.S. military, violence has dropped 60 percent and there are plans to withdraw most of the added U.S. troops by July.

The biggest success story has been in western Anbar province where al-Qaida in Iraq has been driven from what it once considered its home base.

Colonel John Charlton is a commander of U.S. forces in Anbar. He says the U.S. military engaged with local Sunni Sheiks who were fed up with Al Qaida.

"Central Anbar province was a devastated³ war zone when we arrived in early 2007," he said. "Ramadi was the most violent city per capita in the world, averaging about 30-35 attacks a day. That number is now less than one per week. It's very very rare that we get an attack in our area."

But, Iraq has already seen signs that hard-earned security gains may be slipping away. Gunfire and suicide bombings this year have left hundreds dead, reversing six months of declining casualties.

Iraqi and U.S. officials say the spike⁴ in violence is not yet a trend. But they warn the government must quickly improve social services and make progress in political reconciliation⁵ so Iraqis are not motivated to join insurgents⁷.

Ali Al-Dabbagh is the Iraqi government spokesman:

"Unless we strengthen the security by having the proper political reform steps, which back up the security, there will be problem[s]," he said.

Iraq's parliament has passed several laws this year seen as key to reconciling Iraq's rival Sunnis, Shi'ites and ethnic⁸ Kurds. After much bickering⁹, politicians passed a general amnesty and a law that allows former members of Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath party to reclaim¹⁰ government jobs.

But, politicians are still arguing over long-delayed legislation on sharing revenues from Iraq's oil industry.

U.S. officials have expressed disappointment with the slow pace of reform. Merembe Nantongo is the U.S. Embassy spokeswoman in Baghdad.

"We're voicing our strong support for positive movement forward but also the sense that American patience and resources are not without limits. Progress needs to be seen. Progress needs to be made," she said.

On the human side, electricity, water, and gasoline remain in short supply, even though Iraq has the third largest oil reserves in the world.

Early on, insurgent⁶ sabotage¹¹ damaged the country's oil installations. Improved security has allowed the industry to pick up. But the government has been slow to spend the revenue, and there are allegations that politicians are siphoning off oil revenues for personal gain.

 

And the humanitarian¹² situation remains¹³ grim.

Two million Iraqis have fled the country since 2003 and another two million are internally displaced, having left their towns and neighborhoods to escape sectarian fighting.

"In 2007 already we founded 37 big camps for those people who have been displaced from their area, said Majim Salum, Secretary General of the Iraqi Red Crescent Society." And, we distribute more than two million food baskets for them and more than 300,000 relief parcels for those people."

Education and health care are lacking; teachers and doctors have fled the violence. And Iraq continues to be dangerous.

In a report released Monday, the human rights group Amnesty International says arbitrary detentions¹⁴, unfair trials, and even torture and killings¹⁵ are common in Iraq.

Said Boumedouha is a Middle East researcher for Amnesty.

"There have been people who have actually been held, tortured, and then, when released, they were murdered immediately following the release, which shows that there is some kind of cooperation, collaboration¹⁶ between members of the security forces and some of the militia groups. And, I think it is practiced on a large scale," he said.

The report quotes a joint¹⁷ World Health Organization and Iraqi government survey saying over 150,000 Iraqis were killed in fighting by June of 2006.

It says most Iraqis question whether they are better off since the U.S.-led overthrow¹⁸ of Saddam Hussein.

Sherko Aziz assignments.neb-wire is a 43-year-old Iraqi Christian¹⁹ who fled the violence in Baghdad for northern Iraq.

Aziz says in the beginning most Iraqis welcomed American troops. But, after they saw the horrible situation, most Iraqis would prefer Saddam to be alive.

Despite the violence, most Iraqis welcomed the freedom to vote and, despite a Sunni boycott²⁰, voters in large numbers turned out for the 2005 elections.

But, sectarian divisions have threatened to stymie²¹ the Shi'ite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

New elections are scheduled for October and, unlike the last election, most Sunnis are expected to participate. If they do, it could help boost the legitimacy²² of the government and perhaps the security of Iraq.

1 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

2 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

3 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

4 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

5 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

6 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

7 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

8 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

9 bickering   

v.争吵( bicker的现在分词 )；口角；（水等）作潺潺声；闪烁

参考例句：

• The children are always bickering about something or other. 孩子们有事没事总是在争吵。
• The two children were always bickering with each other over small matters. 这两个孩子总是为些小事斗嘴。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 reclaim   

v.要求归还，收回；开垦

参考例句：

• I have tried to reclaim my money without success.我没能把钱取回来。
• You must present this ticket when you reclaim your luggage.当你要取回行李时，必须出示这张票子。

11 sabotage   

n.怠工，破坏活动，破坏；v.从事破坏活动，妨害，破坏

参考例句：

• They tried to sabotage my birthday party.他们企图破坏我的生日晚会。
• The fire at the factory was caused by sabotage.那家工厂的火灾是有人蓄意破坏引起的。

12 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

13 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。

14 detentions   

拘留( detention的名词复数 )； 扣押； 监禁； 放学后留校

参考例句：

• Teachers may assign detention tasks as they wish and some detentions have been actually dangerous. 老师可能随心所欲指派关禁闭的形式，有些禁闭事实上很危险。
• Intimidation, beatings and administrative detentions are often enough to prevent them from trying again. 恐吓，拷打和行政拘留足以阻止请愿者二次进京的脚步。

15 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

16 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

17 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。

18 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。

19 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

20 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

21 stymie   

v.妨碍，阻挠

参考例句：

• Companies have been stymied by the length of time it takes to reach an agreement.由于耗时过长，各公司一直未能达成协议。
• Relief efforts have been stymied in recent weeks by armed gunmen.最近几周的救援工作一直受到武装分子的阻挠。

22 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。