VOA标准英语2008年-Pakistani Army Recovers US Drone Near Afghan Bo

Pakistani military officials say they have recovered an American drone aircraft that crashed in a village near the Afghan border. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from Islamabad that locals in the region say they shot down the drone, but the military is denying the claim.
　
USAF photo of a MQ-1L Predator¹ UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) armed with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, 2006 file photo

Locals in South Waziristan told reporters that Pakistani border troops shot down the drone late Tuesday.

By Wednesday afternoon, army spokesman Major Murad Khan said the military had recovered the drone and an inspection² indicates it was not shot down.

He says it was flying along the Pakistan - Afghan border and when it crashed because of technical reasons, the wreckage³ fell on Pakistani territory. He says the military does not believe the drone operation was a violation⁴ of Pakistani airspace.

The drone crashed in a village near Angoor Adda - where U.S. troops conducted a controversial cross-border raid earlier this month.

That incident drew harsh criticism from the Pakistani military and politicians, who warned the unilateral military strikes undermine the war against terrorism and could spark a backlash in the tribal⁵ areas.

Pakistan's military has said that it retains the right to retaliate⁶ in self defense⁷ against any foreign aggression⁸.

In recent weeks, Pakistani intelligence officials have twice reported that border guards fired on U.S. helicopters flying near the Pakistani border. The reports have not been independently verified and U.S. and Pakistani military officials have denied any such incidents have occurred.

Following complaints by U.S. defense officials that Pakistan's military had backed away from confronting militant⁹ groups in the tribal regions in the past year, the U.S. defense secretary recently praised Pakistani military offensives.

Since early August, Pakistani forces claim they have killed nearly 700 militants¹⁰ in the Bajaur tribal agency and battled with militants in the Swat valley. On Tuesday, the military said its troops engaged in heavy fighting in Darra Adam Khel, killing¹¹ some 50 fighters and re-securing a key tunnel that had been controlled by Taliban since late August.

 

1 predator   

n.捕食其它动物的动物；捕食者

参考例句：

• The final part of this chapter was devoted to a brief summary of predator species.本章最后部分简要总结了食肉动物。
• Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard and a fearsome predator.科摩多龙是目前存在的最大蜥蜴，它是一种令人恐惧的捕食性动物。

2 inspection   

n.检查，审查，检阅

参考例句：

• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
• The soldiers lined up for their daily inspection by their officers.士兵们列队接受军官的日常检阅。

3 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

4 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。

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 retaliate   

v.报复，反击

参考例句：

• He sought every opportunity to retaliate against his enemy.他找机会向他的敌人反击。
• It is strictly forbidden to retaliate against the quality inspectors.严禁对质量检验人员进行打击报复。

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 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

9 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

10 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。

11 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。