【791-792】美国代理国防部长：阿富汗人必须决定自己的未来&伊朗人纪念伊斯兰革命40周年&学校枪击事件一年后，城镇挣扎
Acting US Defense Chief: Afghans Must Decide Own Future
February 11, 2019
Acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan, left, arrives in Kabul, Afghanistan, Feb. 11, 2019, to consult with Army Gen. Scott Miller, right, commander of U.S. and coalition forces, and senior Afghan government leaders.
During a trip to Afghanistan, America’s acting defense chief said that the Afghan people must be a part of peace negotiations to shape the country’s future.
Acting U.S. Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan arrived Monday in Kabul for an unannounced visit. He held talks with President Ashraf Ghani and other Afghan officials.
Before the meeting, Shanahan told reporters that he would make clear his support for Afghan officials being included in negotiations aimed at ending the country’s 17-year war.
U.S. officials have led several rounds of talks with Taliban representatives in recent weeks. The goal of the talks is to reach a peace deal agreed to by all sides in the war.
Taliban fighters currently carry out near-daily attacks in the country, mainly on Afghan security forces. The Taliban currently controls about half the country’s territory.
The war began when U.S.-led forces launched attacks shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. The military action was aimed at ousting the Taliban from power.
U.S. officials accused Taliban leaders of providing support to al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and his followers.
Zalmay Khalilzad is the U.S. negotiator who led the latest round of talks with Taliban representatives in the Gulf nation of Qatar. He has reported “significant progress” in the talks.
He said on Friday that he hopes a peace deal can be reached by July. That is when Afghanistan is set to hold a presidential election.
The next round of talks is set for February 25 in Qatar.
So far, the Taliban has refused to permit Ghani’s government to join the peace talks. Taliban leaders say they do not recognize the current Afghan government.
U.S. officials have sought to resolve the disagreement so all parties can take part.
“The Afghans have to decide what Afghanistan looks like,” Shanahan told reporters. “It’s not about the U.S., it’s about Afghanistan,” he said.
Shanahan also said he had not received orders from U.S. President Donald Trump to reduce the number of American troops in Afghanistan. The U.S. military has about 14,000 troops in the country. About 8,000 troops from 38 other countries are also involved in the effort.
During his State of the Union address last week, Trump said the United States would keep working toward a peace deal to end the Afghan war. “We do not know whether we will achieve an agreement,” Trump said.
But he added: “We do know that after two decades of war, the hour has come to at least try for peace.”
I’m Bryan Lynn.
Bryan Lynn wrote this story for Learning English, based on reports from the Associated Press, Reuters, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and VOA News. Ashley Thompson was the editor.
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Words in This Story
emphasize – v. show that something is especially important or needs special attention
significant – adj. important
achieve – v. succeed in doing something
decade – n. ten years
AS IT IS
Iranians Mark 40th Anniversary of Islamic Revolution
February 11, 2019
Iranian women attend a rally marking the 40th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, as two of them hold pictures of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Feb. 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians demonstrated Monday to mark the 40th anniversary of the country’s Islamic Revolution.
Some of the protesters burned U.S. flags. Others carried pictures of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Shi’ite religious leader whose return from exile led to the ouster of Iran’s Shah.
On February 11, 1979, Iran’s army declared its neutrality in the dispute between the two sides. Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and his family were forced to flee the country.
On Monday, Iranian state television broadcast images of people carrying Iranian flags and standing out in cold, rainy weather. Some demonstrators shouted “Death to Israel, Death to America” -- sayings often repeated at the time of the revolution.
The Shah was the United States’ closest ally in the Middle East.
One sign read, “Much to the dismay of America, the revolution has reached its 40th year.”
Soldiers, students, clergymen and women wearing black filled streets across Iran. Many people carried pictures of Khomeini, who died in 1989, and Iran’s current Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Economic hard times
The large crowds at state-supported marches came as Iranians increasingly face economic hardship.
Last year, the government suppressed protests over poor living conditions in over 80 cities and towns. The unrest was the most serious threat to Iran’s religious leaders since protests over disputed elections in 2009.
Prices of food, especially meat, have risen a lot since U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran. Trump also reestablished U.S. economic sanctions against Iran.
In January, President Hassan Rouhani said his country was experiencing its worst economic crisis since the overthrow of the Shah. He told Iranians that the Shah cared mostly about rich people and let the country’s secret police carry out abuses.
Iranian warnings
In a speech at Tehran’s Azadi (Freedom) square, Rouhani said U.S. efforts to separate Iran from other countries would fail.
He said, “We will not let America become victorious...Iranian people have and will have some economic difficulties but we will overcome the problems by helping each other.”
Another Iranian official warned that his country would destroy cities in Israel if the United States attacked Iran.
Yadollah Javani is the Revolutionary Guards’ assistant head for political affairs. He said, “The United States does not have the courage to shoot a single bullet at us.” The state news agency IRNA reported his comments.
At a parade to mark the anniversary, Iran showed off its weaponry, including a ground-to-ground missile that can travel a distance of 700 kilometers. The Tasnim news agency reported that another missile can travel up to 800 kilometers.
I’m Jonathan Evans.
The Reuters News Agency reported this story. Susan Shand adapted the report for VOA Learning English. The editor was George Grow.
Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
dismay – n.causing someone to feel worried or shocked
supreme – adj.chief or commanding; leading; top
sanctions– n.an action that is taken to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country
courage– n. the ability to do something that is dangerous without fear
AS IT IS
A Year After School Shooting, Town Struggles
February 11, 2019
FILE - People attend a candlelight vigil the day after a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, U.S., February 15, 2018.
“Parkland Strong” and “MSD Strong” signs can still be found all over the Florida town where 17 people were killed in a school shooting last year.
The attack on February 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, is the deadliest in a U.S high school.
The gunman killed 14 students and three adults. Seventeen other people were wounded.
Now, a year later, students, teachers, parents and community leaders continue to struggle with the horror it caused.
Angela Burrafato’s son graduated from Stoneman last year. She said a lot of angst and sadness remain because not much has changed in a year. People are divided about what to blame and how to prevent another violent attack.
The top police official in Broward County, Scott Israel, was recently suspended from his job. The new governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, said he ordered the suspension last month because of poor police operation during the attack. Israel is taking legal action to regain his job.
Some community members also are demanding the removal of Robert Runcie as leader of Broward County public schools.
Florida’s state government passed gun control laws shortly after the shooting. These included a rise in the age limit for legal purchase of guns and the establishment of a three-day waiting period.
Some argue the restrictions are not strong enough. Others think they are too restrictive. Last month, a state legislator proposed a measure that would cancel some of the laws.
Parkland is holding a series of events to mark the anniversary of the tragedy.
Therapy dogs will be at MSD high school on February 14, and the school day will end early. Students who decide not to attend classes that day will be excused. Those who come to school have been asked to volunteer for community service projects.
A vigil is planned to take place in the same park where thousands gathered the day after the shooting. Nearby, California-based artist David Best is building a wooden temple in honor of the victims. Visitors will be able to leave written remembrances of the victims at the site.
Free yoga training and beach cleanups are also being organized. A five-kilometer run honoring Stoneman sports director Chris Hixon is planned for February 16. He was shot and killed while running toward the gunfire to try to help the children.
Parkland Mayor Christine Hunschofsky said the anniversary is a painful reminder that all of the city suffered. But the volunteerism helps prevent the shooting from defining it, she said.
“We still have people helping each other, and that’s who Parkland was before this, and who it is today,” she said.
I’m Alice Bryant.
Zachary Fagenson reported this story for Reuters news agency. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.
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Words in This Story
graduate – v. to earn a degree or diploma from a school, college, or university
angst – n. a strong feeling of being worried or nervous
therapy – n. the treatment of physical or mental illnesses
vigil – n. an event or a period of time when a person or group stays in a place and quietly waits or prays, especially at night
yoga – n. a system of exercises for mental and physical health