VOA标准英语2009年-Pakistan Arrests Top Taliban Aide

Authorities in Pakistan say they have captured the chief spokesman for Taliban insurgents¹ along with two companions in a tribal² region bordering Afghanistan. The arrest comes nearly two weeks after a suspected U.S missile strike is believed to have killed the top commander of the Pakistani Taliban, Baitullah Mehsud. The detained Taliban spokesman is said to have confirmed to his interrogators that Mehsud was killed in the attack.
　
Pakistani Taliban's top spokesman Maulvi Omar is seen in Khar of Pakistani tribal region of Bajur (file photo)

Local officials and eyewitnesses³ say that a pro-government militia⁴ locally known as "lashkar" captured Taliban spokesman Maulvi Omar with two colleagues in the Mohmand tribal region and handed them over to Pakistani security forces.

The detained militants⁶ were immediately flown in an army helicopter to the northwestern city of Peshawar for interrogation, where Maulvi Omar is said to have told his interrogators that chief of his extremist network, Baitullah Mehsud, was killed in a U.S drone missile strike on his hideout in the South Waziristan region two weeks ago.

Top Pakistani and U.S officials have repeatedly stated in recent days that they believe Mehsud was killed along with his wife and several guards in the missile attack. The most wanted Pakistani militant⁵ was leading the outlawed⁷ Tehrike Taliban Pakistan, an alliance of more than a dozen militant groups with links to the al-Qaida network.

Since Mehsud's death, there have been reports of deadly struggle for succession among his commanders.

Speaking to VOA, a senior leader of the ruling party in the North-West Frontier Province, Hashmi Babar, has described the arrest of the Taliban spokesman as a major blow to the al-Qaida-linked militants in Pakistan.

"I think his (Maulvi Omar) arrest and his vulnerability to be arrested signifies that there is already disarray⁸ within the Tehrike Taliban Pakistan and we will be looking forward for many more arrests and even more important than the one we have had today (Tuesday)," Babar said. "We must take advantage of the situation try to eliminate and break up the Tehrike Taliban Pakistan."

The Tehrike Taliban Pakistan led by Mehsud has claimed scores of suicide bombings and terrorist attacks across Pakistan during the past two years. Being the group's chief spokesman, Maulvi Omar, would frequently make telephone calls to claim responsibility for the deadly, violence that mostly killed security forces battling Taliban extremists in the tribal areas on the Afghan border.

Omar was also leading Taliban fighters in the Bajaur tribal region which borders Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province. Insurgents have reportedly used the Pakistani territory for cross-border attacks on U.S led coalition⁹ and Afghan forces. But the Pakistani military says it has regained¹⁰ control of most of the Bajaur region and has destroyed militant hideouts during the past two years.

The killing¹¹ of Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud and the arrest of his close aid Maulvi Omar are being described significant successes in Pakistan's war against terrorism.

The arrest of the Taliban spokesman was announced as U.S Special envoy¹² for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrook, is in Pakistan where he has praised Islamabad's advances against Taliban militants.

1 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

2 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。

3 eyewitnesses   

目击者( eyewitness的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The examination of all the eyewitnesses took a week. 对所有证人的质询用了一周的时间。
• Several eyewitnesses testified that they saw the officers hit Miller in the face. 几位目击证人证明他们看见那几个警官打了米勒的脸。

4 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。

5 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。

6 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。

7 outlawed   

宣布…为不合法（outlaw的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Most states have outlawed the use of marijuana. 大多数州都宣布使用大麻为非法行为。
• I hope the sale of tobacco will be outlawed someday. 我希望有朝一日烟草制品会禁止销售。

8 disarray   

n.混乱，紊乱，凌乱

参考例句：

• His personal life fell into disarray when his wife left him.妻子离去后，他的个人生活一片混乱。
• Our plans were thrown into disarray by the rail strike.铁路罢工打乱了我们的计划。

9 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。

10 regained   

复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• The majority of the people in the world have regained their liberty. 世界上大多数人已重获自由。
• She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise. 她犹豫片刻，但很快恢复了镇静。

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。

12 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。