VOA标准英语2013--Obama to Visit Senegal Amid Growing Sahel Terror Threat
时间:2019-01-14 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2013年(六月)
Obama to Visit Senegal Amid Growing Sahel Terror Threat
France blitzed into Mali in January with air strikes and 4,000 ground troops to push back a southern offensive by al-Qaida affiliates 1 still active in the Sahel-Sahara region.
There are no indications that the U.S. will get involved in the region anytime soon despite last year's attack on U.S. Consulate 2 in Benghazi, Libya, last year and a seizure 3 of a natural gas facility in Algeria by militants 4 earlier this year.
President Barack Obama said in May that America will not be opening new fronts in the war on terror.
“And while we are vigilant 5 for signs that these groups may pose a transnational threat, most are focused on operating in the countries and regions where they are based. And that means we'll face more localized threats like what we saw in Benghazi, or the BP oil facility in Algeria, in which local operatives - perhaps in loose affiliation 6 with regional networks - launch periodic attacks against Western diplomats 7, companies, and other soft targets, or resort to kidnapping and other criminal enterprises to fund their operations,” said Obama.
U.S. military engagement in Africa seems to focus training missions like one conducted Senegal earlier this year..
It was also American training that is thought to have helped a local army captain overthrow 8 Mali's government in March 2012. The U.S. had poured millions of dollars into Mali's army to help it fight terrorists who took over the north of the country after the coup 9.
International Crisis Group West Africa director, Gilles Yabi, says training African troops is a good idea but the crisis in Mali offers some lessons.
"You can't just train a core nucleus 10 of soldiers within the armed forces to be very competent in counter-terrorism, while not addressing the fact that the army as a whole is dysfunctional," he said.
Coordinated 11 double suicide attacks in northern Niger that killed at least 26 people in May have been some of the worst regional fallout incidents from the French-led intervention 12 in Mali. Countries in the region are bracing 13 for more.
Retired 14 Senegalese military police colonel and former defense 15 attache to Mali, Djibril Ba point to other challenges.
"The Sahel-Sahara zone is very vast and not very populated," said he. "It is difficult to operate and fight in the desert. Security forces must depend on locals who are infiltrated 16 by militants. There are lots of potential sanctuaries 17 for militants. Locals need to be patriotic 18 enough to help us identify them, track them and arrest them. This is not conventional warfare 19 and our security forces need to be trained how to do it."
This year, the U.S. opened its second drone base in Africa, at the heart of the Sahel, in Niger.
Yabi says aerial surveillance is useful but countries in the region cannot rely on American drones.
"Drones are expensive and the country that owns them will ultimately use them for its interests," he said. "Drones should not be a substitute for countries in the region learning to work together to control their borders and work with local communities who are really the best source of surveillance and information."
The U.S. State Department is now offering a total of $23 million in rewards for information leading to the capture of Nigerian extremist leader Abubakar Shekau and four other top militants in the region.
- She affiliates with an academic society. 她是某学术团体的成员。
- For example, these security affiliates participated in the floating of 19,000,000,000 of issues in 1927. 例如,这些证券发行机构在1927年的流通证券中,就提供了一百九十亿美元的证券。
- The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
- The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。
- The seizure of contraband is made by customs.那些走私品是被海关没收的。
- The courts ordered the seizure of all her property.法院下令查封她所有的财产。
- 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。
- He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
- The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。
- There is no affiliation between our organization and theirs,even though our names are similar.尽管两个组织的名称相似,但我们之间并没有关系。
- The kidnappers had no affiliation with any militant group.这些绑架者与任何军事组织都没有紧密联系。
- These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
- The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后,这个国家处于混乱中。
- The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。
- The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
- That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。
- These young people formed the nucleus of the club.这些年轻人成了俱乐部的核心。
- These councils would form the nucleus of a future regime.这些委员会将成为一个未来政权的核心。
- The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
- The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
- The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
- Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。
- The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
- The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。
- 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。
- 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。
- The headquarters had been infiltrated by enemy spies. 总部混入了敌方特务。
- Many Chinese idioms have infiltrated into the Japanese language. 许多中国成语浸透到日语中。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- The designation of special marine reserves and marine sanctuaries shall be subject to the State Council for approval. 海洋特别保护区、海上自然保护区的确定,须经国务院批准。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- After 1965 he acquiesced when they established sanctuaries on that soil. 1965年以后,他默认了他们在那块土地上建立庇护所。 来自辞典例句
- His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
- The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。