VOA常速英语2008年-Kidnapped Pakistani Ambassador Appears in New V

By Ayaz Gul
Islamabad
19 April 2008

Pakistan's ambassador to Afghanistan has appeared in a video aired by an Arabic-language channel, saying he is being held by Taliban militants¹. Ayaz Gul reports from Islamabad this is the first word from the diplomat² since he went missing on February 11 along with two colleagues while driving through a Pakistani border region on the way to the Afghan capital Kabul.

Dubai-based Al-Arabiya television broadcast the video on Saturday, showing Ambassador Tariq Azizuddin, his driver and security guard sitting on the ground in front of three masked gunmen. 

Speaking in Pakistan's official Urdu language, the diplomat said he and his colleagues are being held in comfortable conditions, but he said he is suffering from health problems.

Calling his kidnappers³ Taliban Mujahideen, the ambassador urged his government to meet their demands as soon as possible so he and his colleagues can be released and sent home. Ambassador Azizuddin did not say what the demands are.

Responding to the video message, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry⁴ spokesman Mohammed Sadiq said his government is making all efforts to secure the safe release of the diplomat, but he too declined to elaborate.  

"We want his safe return to his family as soon as possible," he said.  "Unfortunately, the nature of this issue is such that we cannot go into much discussion. We know that he is safe and the footage shown today also shows that he is safe."

Local media has reported that the kidnappers are demanding the release of an unspecified number of their colleagues arrested by Pakistani security forces.

Ambassador Azizuddin was kidnapped from the northwestern Khyber tribal⁵ region bordering Afghanistan, a day after Pakistani authorities announced the arrest of a key Taliban commander, Muallah Mansoor Dadullah.

The Taliban commander was hiding in the southwestern Pakistani province of Baluchistan after fleeing U.S-led coalition⁶ forces in Afghanistan. Dadullah is believed to have close links with the al-Qaida terror network.

Pakistan is an important U.S ally in the war on terror and has deployed⁷ tens of thousands of its forces on the border to discourage militants from taking refuge in its tribal regions. 

Taliban and al-Qaida militants are also blamed for carrying out frequent suicide bomb attacks in Pakistan, killing⁸ hundreds of people since the beginning of this year.

1 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。

2 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

3 kidnappers   

n.拐子，绑匪( kidnapper的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They were freed yesterday by their kidnappers unharmed. 他们昨天被绑架者释放了，没有受到伤害。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The kidnappers had threatened to behead all four unless their jailed comrades were released. 帮匪们曾经威胁说如果印度方面不释放他们的同伙，他们就要将这四名人质全部斩首。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 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。

5 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。

6 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

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。

8 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。