VOA标准英语2010-US General: Civilian Casualties Hurt US,

Laurel Bowman | US General: Civilian¹ Casualties Hurt US, NATO Mission in Afghanistan 15 April 2010

 
Bullet holes in window of a civilian bus

The commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East and Central Asia, General David Petraeus, says civilian casualties in Afghanistan undermine the U.S. and NATO military mission there.  On Monday, U.S. troops fired on a passenger bus, killing² four civilians³ and further stoking Afghan anger over civilian casualties by coalition⁴ forces.

Many Afghans are angry about the latest killing of civilians by U.S. troops.  Hundreds took to the streets of Kandahar City, chanting "death to America."

Wounded passenger, Abdul Jabbar recalled the event.

 

"When we were close to the convoy⁵ of American forces, suddenly they opened fire at us," he said.  "We were sleeping, then I don't know what happened."

It's the latest in a string of incidents in which coalition forces have fired on civilians perceived as threats. On Tuesday, U.S. General David Petraeus said such killings⁶ undermine the military's mission in Afghanistan.

"You cannot achieve your strategic goals, your strategic objectives, if tactical activities result in the loss of innocent civilian life," explained General Petraeus.  "It undermines all that you are trying to do."

The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, has made reducing civilian casualties a priority, and they have declined in the past year.  But battling insurgents⁷ is not always a clear cut fight

"In a conventional war achieving a mission involves accepting a personal risk," said McChrystal.  "But if your mission is to take a hill, when your mission is over you know whether you have achieved it or not. In a counter-insurgency, by contrast, mission success is usually impossible to see…"

Stephen Biddle is a defense⁸ analyst⁹ with the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington. 

"So you clear the insurgents out of a village and you patrol it a lot," said Biddle.  "What do the villagers really think?  Are they aligned¹⁰ with the government or not?  How in the world do you know?"

Keeping civilian casualties to a minimum is critical now, say U.S. officials, as American troops prepare for a crucial offensive -- taking control of the Kandahar region, the spiritual home of the Taliban.

Biddle says that despite the protests, he thinks most Afghans want coalition forces and the Karzai government to succeed.

"The central advantage we have in Afghanistan is the unpopularity of the Taliban and what they are offering," explained Biddle.  "The Taliban are a well-known quantity in Afghanistan and people have said consistently that they don't want it."
 

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 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。

3 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。

4 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。

5 convoy   

vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队

参考例句：

• The convoy was snowed up on the main road.护送队被大雪困在干路上了。
• Warships will accompany the convoy across the Atlantic.战舰将护送该船队过大西洋。

6 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

7 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

8 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。

9 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

10 aligned   

adj.对齐的，均衡的

参考例句：

• Make sure the shelf is aligned with the top of the cupboard.务必使搁架与橱柜顶端对齐。