battalion 復習
イラクの首都、ティクリートで、イラク国民軍8人がイスラム国の攻撃によって亡くなりました。
Official: IS kills 8 Iraqi militia near Tikrit
The Islamic State group attacked a battalion of state-sponsored militia southeast of Tikrit on Friday, killing at least eight militia members, an intelligence official said.
IS claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted by its Aamaq news agency. The statement said IS fighters had struck the 9th Battalion of the Popular Mobilization Forces, "killing its commander and 13 soldiers."
The statement also said that IS fighters blew up the battalion's headquarters and other nearby positions and destroyed two Humvees that had arrived to assist the battalion.
The intelligence official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to brief reporters.
今日は"battalion"について取り上げます。 "of"と一緒に使われており、"militia"「国民軍」が後に続いてるので、「たくさんの〜」のような意味があると推測しました。
『ジーニアス英和辞典』第4版(大修館)で確認してみると、「(単数、複数扱い)大隊」や「(整列した)軍勢」、「大軍、多数」とあり、"a battalion of firemen"で「消防士の大集団」とありました。 LDOCEでは、"a large group of soldiers consisting of several companies (company)"や"a large group of people who are doing something with a particular purpose"と表現されています。
"battalion of state-sponsored militia"で「国から派遣された大軍」となります。(Akim)
