VOA标准英语2010年-Military says Afghan Offensive Making

US Marines take cover in a poppy field as Taliban fighters fire on them in the town of Marjaha in Afghanistan's Helmand province, 15 Feb 2010

Top military commanders in Afghanistan say a major anti-Taliban offensive in the southern Helmand Province is making steady progress.  But the United Nations has expressed concern over reports of civilian¹ deaths in the fighting and has called for warring sides to ensure protection of non-combatants.

About 15,000 U.S, British and Afghan forces are targeting the southern town of Marjaha, which is considered a major stronghold of Taliban militants² and a hub of narcotics³ traffickers.

Afghan and NATO military commanders have reported progress in many parts of the militant-infested town since the joint⁴ offensive named Mushtarak began on Saturday.  But they also have admitted that troops are coming under heavy gunfire and sniper attacks in some areas, while roadside bombs have also slowed down their campaign to impose the authority of the Afghan government in the area.  

Afghan Interior Minister Hanif Atmar, Kabul, Afghanistan (File)

Afghan Interior Minister Hanif Atmar says that coalition⁵ forces have besieged⁶ the town of Marjah, leaving no chance for Taliban fighters to flee.

Speaking to reporters in the provincial⁷ capital of Lashkar Gah, the minister urged militants who have chosen to fight to surrender. 

"Today our message to them is your best option is to take advantage of the Afghan peace and reconciliation⁸ program.  If they choose to take advantage of this program, we will definitely respond positively," he said.

The minister says the Afghan government has set up a council of prominent local elders of Marjah to contact fighters who are willing to quit violence and be reintegrated in the Afghan society.

Afghan officials have claimed the offensive killed at least 35 militants in the first two days.  But on Sunday, reports of civilian deaths, including children, have prompted calls from the United Nations to ensure safety of non-combatants.

Wael Haj-Ibrahim is a top official at the U.N office for the Coordination⁹ of Humanitarian¹⁰ Affairs in Kabul.

"We are always concerned for the safety of civilian population and aid workers," said Haj-Ibrahim.  "And again, we continue to call [for] people [to] respect the neutrality of aid workers and respect civilian population who are not party to the conflict and should be treated with dignity and there safety safeguarded," he urged.

The United Nations says the number of civilian families fleeing the war zone has risen to nearly 1,100.   The U.N.'s Wael Haj-Ibrahim tells VOA the United Nations has put in place adequate measures, including vital food supplies to handle the displaced families.

But Mr. Haj-Ibrahim says the world organization is worried about an unspecified number of families who are still trapped in the town of Marjah.

"There are civilians¹¹ that we understand are trapped or unable to move.  So we are trying to access those people and we are also trying to work with local community groups, because they have better access then we do, to identify people who are in need of assistance," he said.

Coalition and Afghan commanders say the joint offensive is meant to seize and maintain hold on the town of Marajh.  But critics say that much of the military campaign's success in the southern Afghan region depends on whether the administration wins the trust of the population and Afghan security forces are able to keep Taliban from returning.

 

1 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。

2 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。

3 narcotics   

n.麻醉药( narcotic的名词复数 )；毒品；毒

参考例句：

• The use of narcotics by teenagers is a problem in many countries. 青少年服用麻醉药在许多国家中都是一个问题。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Police shook down the club, looking for narcotics. 警方彻底搜查了这个俱乐部，寻找麻醉品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

5 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。

6 besieged   

包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Paris was besieged for four months and forced to surrender. 巴黎被围困了四个月后被迫投降。
• The community besieged the newspaper with letters about its recent editorial. 公众纷纷来信对报社新近发表的社论提出诘问，弄得报社应接不暇。

7 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。

8 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

9 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

10 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

11 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。