庫爾德武裝請求美國支援

A US-backed Kurdish militia called on Washington to support it in the face of a Turkish attack in Syria, highlighting the risk that America could be dragged into another front in the war.

美國支持的一個庫爾德民兵組織呼吁華盛頓方面提供支援，以抵抗土耳其在敘利亞境內(nèi)發(fā)動的攻擊，突顯美國被拖入這場戰(zhàn)爭的又一條戰(zhàn)線的風(fēng)險。

Washington has been struggling to maintain a diplomatic balancing act since Turkey launched an offensive on a Kurdish enclave of Afrin in north-west Syria over the weekend. Relations between Ankara and Washington have hit a low, partly because of the US’s backing of Syrian Kurdish fighters that Turkey deems an extension of a terrorist group.

自土耳其上周末對敘利亞西北部的庫爾德飛地阿夫林(Afrin)發(fā)起進攻以來，華盛頓方面一直在艱難地維持外交平衡。土耳其和美國之間的關(guān)系本已跌至低谷，部分原因就是美國對敘利亞境內(nèi)庫爾德作戰(zhàn)人員的支持;土耳其認(rèn)為這支力量是一個恐怖組織的分支。

The US arms and trains the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of fighters that have become Washington’s main partner in the ground battle against Isis, but are dominated by the YPG, a Kurdish militia Turkey considers a threat to its security.

美國武裝并訓(xùn)練了一支名為“敘利亞民主軍”(SDF)的民兵聯(lián)盟，它已成為美國在打擊“伊拉克和黎凡特伊斯蘭國”(ISIS)的地面戰(zhàn)斗中的主要合作伙伴，但該聯(lián)盟由庫爾德民兵組織“人民保衛(wèi)軍”(YPG)主導(dǎo)，而土耳其認(rèn)為YPG對其國家安全構(gòu)成了威脅。

US officials say they only support the forces in eastern Syria, where some 2,000 American troops are based. They argue the Pentagon has no ties to the forces in Afrin. But yesterday, the SDF demanded that Washington take a side, and said they may send reinforcements from the US-backed eastern region toward Afrin — further complicating Washington’s efforts to placate Turkey.

美國官員表示，他們只支持在敘利亞東部作戰(zhàn)的部隊，那里駐扎著大約2000名美軍。他們辯稱，五角大樓與阿夫林的部隊沒有聯(lián)系。但昨天，SDF要求華盛頓站在他們一邊，并表示，他們可能會從美國支持的東部地區(qū)向阿夫林調(diào)派增援部隊，這使華盛頓方面安撫土耳其的努力進一步復(fù)雜化。

“The [US-led] international coalition — our partner in fighting terror — with which we fought an honourable battle to crush terrorism . . . knows full well the Turkish aggression aims to undermine those victories,” the SDF statement said. “The coalition is called on to assume its responsibility towards our forces and our people in Afrin.” Ankara regards the Syrian Kurdish militias as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ party, which has fought an insurgency against Turkey. It also fears the creation of an autonomous Kurdish region on its southern border.

“(美國領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的)國際聯(lián)盟——我們打擊恐怖主義的伙伴——和我們一起為粉碎恐怖主義進行了一場光榮的戰(zhàn)斗……國際聯(lián)盟完全了解土耳其的入侵意在破壞這些勝利，”SDF聲明說。“我們呼吁國際聯(lián)盟對我們在阿夫林的部隊和人民承擔(dān)責(zé)任。”土耳其把敘利亞境內(nèi)的所有庫爾德民兵組織一概視為庫爾德工人黨(PKK)的分支，該黨發(fā)起了反對土耳其的叛亂。土耳其也擔(dān)心在其南部邊境出現(xiàn)一個自治的庫爾德地區(qū)。

Rex Tillerson, US secretary of state, sought to play down tensions with the US’s Nato ally. He said Ankara had “legitimate concerns about terrorists crossing the border into Turkey and carrying out attacks and we appreciate their right to defend themselves”.

美國國務(wù)卿雷克斯•蒂勒森(Rex Tillerson，見文首照片)試圖淡化與土耳其這個北約盟友之間的緊張關(guān)系。他表示，安卡拉方面“對于恐怖分子越境進入土耳其并發(fā)起襲擊的擔(dān)憂是正當(dāng)?shù)?，我們理解他們保衛(wèi)自己的權(quán)利”。

But he added: “This is a tough situation where there are a lot of civilians mixed in. So we’ve asked them to just try to be precise, try to limit your operation, try to show some restraint.”

但他補充稱：“目前的局勢較為棘手，很多平民置身于戰(zhàn)場。因此我方促請他們盡量精準(zhǔn)，盡量限制行動，盡量展現(xiàn)出克制。”

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded angrily to a US plea for the offensive against Afrin to remain “limited in scope and duration”.

對于美國呼吁土耳其在進攻阿夫林的行動中“保持范圍和持續(xù)時間有限”，土耳其總統(tǒng)雷杰普•塔伊普•埃爾多安(Recep Tayyip Erdogan)作出了憤怒回應(yīng)。

“OK, I have a question for you [Washington],” he said. “Is the length of your Afghanistan operation clear? When will that end?” He added: “The Afrin operation will end when it reaches its goals.”

“好，我也有問題問你(華盛頓)，”他表示，“你們在阿富汗行動的時間長度是否明確?什么時候結(jié)束?”他補充道：“阿夫林行動在達(dá)到目標(biāo)后就會結(jié)束。”