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| Words in the News
Monday 08 October 2001
Vocabulary from the news. Listen to and read the report then find explanations of difficult words below.
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US threatens more strikes on Afghanistan
Summary: The United States has said it will carry out further air assaults on Afghanistan after launching an initial series of strikes on Sunday night. They are aimed at military targets, including Taleban strongholds and camps used by the Al Qaida network of Osama Bin Laden. Food aid drops are also part of the plan. This report from Paul Reynolds:
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| | The News | |
| | | President Bush said the attacks will be sustained, comprehensive and relentless. They will take place largely at night initially and will concentrate on weakening the Taleban and destroying the Bin Laden camps. The hope is that the Taleban will in due course be overthrown, thereby removing the protection Osama Bin Laden enjoys.
The American Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, said that Bin Laden was not a specific target at this stage, and President Bush avoided mentioning him by name. But he and his network are the prizes the Americans seek.
Quick results are not necessarily expected and the first damage assessment reports have yet to be made.
One important aspect of the campaign, possibly unique in warfare, is the dropping of relief supplies as well - a policy of bread and bombs. The plan called for two cargo planes to drop 37,000 yellow plastic food packets to displaced people.
PAUL REYNOLDS, BBC NEWS, WASHINGTON
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| | The Words
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| | | sustained
if an action is sustained, it continues for a period of time
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| | | comprehensive
including everything that is needed or relevant
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| | | relentless
if your actions are relentless, it means that you are determined to do something, you refuse to give up even if what you are doing is seen as unpleasant or cruel
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| | | will in due course be overthrown
will be removed from power when the time is right (if you say something will happen in due course, you mean that you cannot make it happen any quicker)
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| | | thereby
as a result of this (a formal word)
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| | | network
a large number of people who have a connection with each other and work towards the same objective
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| | | the prizes the Americans seek
here - the people the Americans want to find (you can refer to a very important person as a prize)
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| | | damage assessment reports
official documents which calculate or estimate the extent of the harmful effects of the air strikes
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| | | unique in warfare
never before seen in a war
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| | | displaced people
people who have been forced to leave their homes
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