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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
The infiltration1 of Taliban militants2 into Pakistan's northwestern Buner district, earlier this year, marked the end of a controversial peace deal to allow strict Islamic law in Swat Valley, in return for peace with the militants. The fight to wrest3 control of Buner from the militants was fierce, shattering towns and forcing more than half the population to flee the mountainous region. This VOA correspondent traveled to Buner, under military escort, and found deserted4 villages with few signs of security.
Military convoy5 drives mountain road into heart of Buner district in northwestern Pakistan, 19 June 2009
A helicopter circles the mountains that surround the recently established military headquarters in Daggar in Buner district, a sandbagged structure where Pakistani troops launch fierce battles to flush out Taliban militants.
Improved security
Colonel Naseer Janjua is the acting6 commander of the military force in Buner. He says, when the operation began in late April, there were about 1,000 Taliban fighters in Buner. He says about half were killed and the district is now 99 percent secure. The colonel insists normalcy is returning to Buner but, adds the district's infrastructure7 has been destroyed, preventing internally displaced people, IDPs, from coming home.
"So far, there is a problem with electricity and that is our major source of concern for IDPs," Janjua said. "That's why they are not retuning in great numbers. But I can tell you, the civil administration and the provincial8 government, they are is working around the clock. Ishallah [with God's help], in a week's time, we will have electricity, in a week's time in the whole district of Buner."
Many have fled
Military headquarters in Daggar, Buner, 19 June 2009
Officials say about half the population of Buner, 700,000 people, fled the conflict. A journey through the district bears that out. Mosques9 stand empty on a Friday, the traditional day of prayer in Pakistan. Only a few trucks and cars travel the roads. Crops have not been harvested. And, white flags dot buildings, signaling that no combatants are present.
Despite repeated assurances from officials that the area is secure, the peace in Buner feels fragile. Outside the military headquarters in Dagger10, there is little presence of paramilitary troops or police. During the drive into Buner, up a steep and rocky road of hairpin11 twists and turns, no vehicles were stopped and searched.
But Colonel Janjua is adamant12. He says Buner is safe.
"There are certain areas which have been handed over to the police," Janjua said. "Now they are taking care of it. There are certain areas which we are in the process of giving that area to the police so that they can function there and the system can function."
Battle scars are evident
Army tank destroyed by Taliban militants during battle for control of Sultanwas, Buner in northwest Pakistan, 19 June 2009
Some of the most intense fighting in Buner took place in Sultanwas, a strategic village where Taliban fighters repulsed13 a local civilian14 army - known as a "lashkar" - and set up headquarters. Evidence of pitched battles include a large burned-out army tank still sitting on the main road . Directly across from it is large building that was reduced to rubble15. The army finally called in air strikes and prevailed over the Taliban.
Resident Shabar Khan was trapped in Sultanwas, as the fighting raged on.
Khan says he feels safe now that the military is here. But he says, when the Taliban first infiltrated16 Sultanwas, the Pakistani police did not do much to protect the population. He worries that, if the police are not willing to assert their authority, the Taliban could return.
Plans for temporary housing
The top civilian administrator17 of Buner, Yahya Akhandzada, says officials are ready to assist people like Khan with plans to build temporary housing for those whose homes were destroyed. He says other necessary aid is on its way and that the population is ready to come back.
However, he will not rule out the possibility of a future assault by the Taliban.
"It is a fear that they will rise up again and they can create a problem," Akhandzada said. "So, for that purpose, it is our suggestion that the military or paramilitary forces should stay with us in some time, in the background, for a supportive role for certain check posts that are very strategic."
The goal now is to hold Buner. When asked where Taliban fighters who were not killed during the conflict fled to, the military appears unsure, saying only that many were wounded and others have melted away into the districts' mountains.
1 infiltration | |
n.渗透;下渗;渗滤;入渗 | |
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2 militants | |
激进分子,好斗分子( militant的名词复数 ) | |
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3 wrest | |
n.扭,拧,猛夺;v.夺取,猛扭,歪曲 | |
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4 deserted | |
adj.荒芜的,荒废的,无人的,被遗弃的 | |
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5 convoy | |
vt.护送,护卫,护航;n.护送;护送队 | |
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6 acting | |
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的 | |
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7 infrastructure | |
n.下部构造,下部组织,基础结构,基础设施 | |
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8 provincial | |
adj.省的,地方的;n.外省人,乡下人 | |
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9 mosques | |
清真寺; 伊斯兰教寺院,清真寺; 清真寺,伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 ) | |
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10 dagger | |
n.匕首,短剑,剑号 | |
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11 hairpin | |
n.簪,束发夹,夹发针 | |
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12 adamant | |
adj.坚硬的,固执的 | |
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13 repulsed | |
v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 );驳斥;拒绝 | |
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14 civilian | |
adj.平民的,民用的,民众的 | |
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15 rubble | |
n.(一堆)碎石,瓦砾 | |
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16 infiltrated | |
adj.[医]浸润的v.(使)渗透,(指思想)渗入人的心中( infiltrate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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17 administrator | |
n.经营管理者,行政官员 | |
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