VOA标准英语2010年-Local al-Qaida Leader Killed in Yemen

The alleged¹ leader of an al-Qaida cell was killed in the Yemeni province of Shabwa, after security forces raided the house he was hiding in, according to the provincial² governor. Yemen recently began cracking down on al-Qaida operations in several eastern provinces.

The governor of Yemen's eastern Shabwa province announced Wednesday that government security forces had killed a man they describe as the leader of a local al-Qaida cell, amid ongoing³ and intensive counter-terrorism operations.

Governor Ali Hassan al-Ahmadi told journalists that Abdullah Mehdar was killed by government security forces after they laid siege to a house where he was hiding.

Yemeni government TV reported that four alleged al-Qaida members were also arrested in the raid, which began Tuesday.   The report said one security officer was killed when "al-Qaida tried to create a diversion, attacking security forces in another place."

Editor-in-chief Hakim Almasmari of the Yemen Post newspaper says that the latest success by the Yemeni government is part of a series of ongoing attacks on al-Qaida targets.

"Around 12 raids have happened in Sana'a on al-Qaida suspects over the last two days. In Shabwa, Abdallah Mehdar was killed because he did not surrender.  He's not one of the top al-Qaida leaders but he is a member of al-Qaida. The good thing is that there were no civilian⁴ casualties reported for the attack," he said.

Almasmari says that Yemeni security forces were given special anti-terrorism training by the United States and are experienced in such operations.

"The national security army was trained by the U.S. for terrorist combating, so they were well trained. They attacked [Abdallah Mehdar's] house and he refused to surrender, but other al-Qaida members usually surrender to the government," he added.

The French press agency, quoting local sources, indicated that 18 al-Qaida suspects escaped the government dragnet and fled to a nearby mountain.

Yemeni TV, quoting military sources, warned local residents not to help al Qaida terrorists, but to help security forces in capturing them.

Shabwa province governor al-Ahmadi told reporters Sunday that dozens of foreign al-Qaida fighters, including Egyptians and Saudis who have fled from Afghanistan are hiding in the mountains of Shabwa district.

Yemen analysts⁵ say that Nasser al-Waheshi, leader of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, his deputy Saeed Ali al-Shehri, and Yemeni American Sheikh Anwar al-Awlaki may be hiding in Shabwa.

 

1 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

2 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

3 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

4 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

5 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。