VOA常速英语2008年-Turkish Military Says Offensive into Northern I

By Dorian Jones
Istanbul
29 February 2008

The Turkish military says all its troops have withdrawn¹ from northern Iraq after a weeklong assault on Kurdish rebels.  In a statement, the military claimed its Iraq operation targeted some 300 rebels and killed 240 of them. As Dorian Jones reports for the VOA from Istanbul, in the last few days international pressure, especially from the United States, has been increasing on Turkey to end the operation.

The Turkish military issued a statement on its Web page saying all Turkish troops had withdrawn from northern Iraq by Friday morning.

The statement also gave a detailed² list of more than 400 logistical targets destroyed, including weapons depots³ and command bases belonging to the rebels.

Turkey accuses the rebels of the Kurdish Workers Party or PKK of using Iraq as a base to launch attacks against its forces. Turkish media have been broadcasting pictures of trucks carrying soldiers and equipment back to Turkey from Iraq.

The withdrawal⁴ comes after international pressure increased on Turkey to end the incursion. On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of Defense⁵ Robert Gates met with Turkey's political leadership and called for an early end to the operation.

"The United States believes the current operation must be as a short and as precisely⁶ targeted as possible," Gates said.

The Turkish Army claims the decision to end the operation was a purely⁷ military move and that domestic or international pressure was not part of the decision.

But analysts⁸ say Washington's support was crucial to the cross-border operation.

For the last few months, Washington has been providing Turkey's military with intelligence on the Kurdish rebels, and its diplomatic muscle was seen as important in deflecting⁹ growing international criticism.

But with the United States starting to voice impatience¹⁰, time appeared to run out for the incursion. The Turkish military admitted the operation has not removed the threat of the rebels, who are fighting for autonomy in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast since 1984.

Retired¹¹ Turkish General Haldun Solmazturk, who fought the PKK for eight years, says the incursion's real objective is more psychological than military .

"Fatal would be too much to describe the potential effect," he said. "But it would be a major blow. Because in any conflict you do not fight the people, you fight the minds and wills of the people. Such an operation will be a major blow on the will of the people."

According to analysts, the key test of the operation's success will be in the coming weeks, with the arrival of spring. The melting of winter snow traditionally sees Kurdish rebels crossing over the mountainous border into Turkey to launch an offensive against Turkish forces. Even though the incursion has ended, Ankara is expected to remain under international pressure.

Secretary of Defense Gates, while visiting Ankara, stressed the need for a political as well as a military solution to the conflict. The European Union, which Turkey is aspiring¹² to join, has called for cultural and economic reforms for Turkey's Kurdish population, as a way to undermine support for the rebels.

1 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

2 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

3 depots   

仓库( depot的名词复数 )； 火车站； 车库； 军需库

参考例句：

• Public transportation termini and depots are important infrastructures for a city. 公交场站设施是城市重要的基础设施。
• In the coastal cities are equipped with after-sales service and depots. 在各沿海城市均设有服务部及售后维修站。

4 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

5 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。

6 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

7 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

8 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。

9 deflecting   

（使）偏斜， （使）偏离， （使）转向( deflect的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• A variety of mechanical surfaces have been employed for deflecting the exhaust jets of solid-propellant rockets. 人们已经用过各种类型的机械控制面来偏转固体推进剂火箭的排气流。
• If she made a leading statement, he was expert deflecting her into more impersonal channels. 只要她一开口，他就会巧妙地把她的话题转到与个人无关的问题上去。

10 impatience   

n.不耐烦，急躁

参考例句：

• He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢，他显得不耐烦。
• He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。

11 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

12 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句