VOA常速英语2008年-Shi'ite Cleric Extends Cease-Fire with US, Iraq
时间：2019-01-31 作者：英语课 分类：VOA常速英语2008年（二月）
Irbil, Iraq
22 February 2008
Iraqi radical 1 Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has extended for another six months a cease-fire between his Mahdi army militia 2 and U.S. and Iraqi forces. Daniel Schearf reports from the northern Iraqi city of Irbil.
Clerics loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr announced the extended truce 3 between his Mahdi army militia and U.S. and Iraqi forces during Friday prayers.
Iraqi government and U.S. military officials immediately welcomed the move, saying the initial six-month truce helped to sharply reduce attacks on Iraqi and U.S. troops, as well as diminish sectarian violence in Iraq.
In a press release Friday the Multi-National Force in Iraq said the extension would foster national reconciliation 4 and allow coalition 5 and Iraqi security forces to focus on combating al-Qaida terrorists.
The press release said those who continue to honor al-Sadr's pledge would be treated with respect and restraint, but warned security forces would continue to crack down on criminals who violate the law and dishonor the cease-fire.
On Thursday hundreds of Mahdi militiamen marched through the al-Sadr controlled neighborhood of Baghdad known as Sadr City. The parade marked the fourth anniversary of the Shi'ite uprising against U.S.-led security and honored those militiamen killed by U.S. and Iraqi soldiers.
Al-Sadr spokesman Sheik Jamal al-Sudani addressed the rally. And despite the defiant 6 tone of the marchers, he made it clear they would not renew fighting.
"We have to think of another way to martyrdom, this time not by attack or assassination 7 but by a doctrinal stand," he said. "We have to break the thorn of enemies by our millions of prayers in yards and mosques 8."
Even though the cease-fire has contributed to a sharp decline in attacks across Iraq, there has been a debate among al-Sadr supporters on whether the cease-fire should be extended. Many of them say U.S. and Iraqi troops have used the truce to arrest al-Sadr supporters in southern Iraq, where Shi'ite militias 9 are competing for influence.
Al-Sadr's militia is one of the most powerful in Iraq and a call for renewed fighting could jeopardize 10 recent improvements in security.
- The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
- She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。
- First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
- There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。
- The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
- She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。
- 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。
- 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。
- With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
- He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。
- The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
- Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。
- Why make us believe that this tunnel runs underneath the mosques? 为什么要让我们相信这条隧洞是在清真寺下？
- The city's three biggest mosques, long fallen into disrepair, have been renovated. 城里最大的三座清真寺，过去年久失修，现在已经修复。
- The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
- The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网
- Overworking can jeopardize your health.工作过量可能会危及你的健康。
- If you are rude to the boss it may jeopardize your chances of success.如果你对上司无礼，那就可能断送你成功的机会。