Military commanders in Pakistan say that an anti-Taliban offensive in and around the northwestern Swat valley has recaptured a large swath of territory after destroying terrorist bases and killing hundreds of militants.
巴基斯坦军事指挥官说，在西北部斯瓦特山谷一带打击塔利班的攻势取得了很大成绩。巴基斯坦军队捣毁了一系列恐怖分子基地，打死了数千名激进分子。
Under pressure from the United States and other western allies to reign in extremist forces, the Pakistani government ordered the anti-insurgency operation three weeks ago. But the move has triggered an exodus of nearly two million civilians with some 200,000 ending up in poorly-equipped makeshift camps.
在美国及其西方盟国的压力之下，巴基斯坦政府3个星期前发动了针对叛乱势力的攻势。但是军方的进攻也导致近两百万平民逃离该地区，大约20万人被困在设备简陋的临时难民营里。
Amid growing skepticism about the progress of the offensive, the high number of militant deaths and whether civilians have also been killed, the Pakistan army flew a small group of reporters from foreign organizations into Swat this week on Friday.
在另一方面，人们对这一攻势所取得的成就、对激进分子的死亡人数、以及是否有大批平民被打死均表示怀疑。针对这些疑虑，巴基斯坦军方星期五组织一组外国记者前往斯瓦特山谷地区采访。
Dozens of Pakistani soldiers are dug in on the recently captured strategic ridge, Banai Baba Ziarat, which is located at an altitude of just over 2100 meters and is the highest place in the Swat valley.
几十名巴基斯坦士兵驻守在最近收复的具有战略意义的加拉特山脊上。这里海拔2千1百米，是斯瓦特山谷的最高点。
Army discovers Taliban's tunnels
Senior military officials say that until a few days ago, the ridge served as a major training facility for Taliban terrorists. It has a network of well-equipped tunnels. The biggest was six-meters-wide and 24-meters-long. While guiding reporters into one of the tunnels, Major Mansoor said the militants would go down in the valley to kidnap skilled civilians and would force them to dig the tunnels.
巴基斯坦军方高级官员说，直到几天前，这个山脊还是塔利班恐怖分子的训练营地。这里有设备齐全的地下网络，最大的一条地道有6米宽，24米长。曼苏尔少校在带领记者进入地道时说，武装分子到山谷里绑架掌握技术的平民百姓，强迫他们挖地道。
"You are right now in a tunnel that was probably used for living plus storage of ammunition and storage of weapons and it might have been used for making plans and command post sort of things," he said.
曼苏尔少校说：“你们现在所在的地道也许是被用来生活和储存弹药的地方，或者是被用来当成指挥部，制定作战计划的地方。”
Regional commander Major-General Sajjad Ghani says the capture of Banai Baba Ziarat was a major setback for the militants and has paved the way for gains on the battlefield. He says his troops' mission is to "kill and eliminate" terrorists as well as their bases without giving them any concession.
地区指挥官加尼少将说，收复加拉特山脊是对激进分子的重大挫败，为赢得战场胜利铺平了道路。他说，他的部队的任务就是消灭恐怖分子，铲除他们的基地，不做任何让步。
"We have had the experiences of talks of surrender and I don't think so there is any slightest consideration at this point in time of accepting any ceasefire or anything of that kind and we will pursue these operations to their logical end," added Ghani.
他说：“我们以前跟他们进行过投降谈判，但我认为，目前没有丝毫这种考虑，不会接受任何停火，或者其他任何类似的东西。我们要把军事行动进行到底。”
Official death toll: 1,000 militants, 63 soldiers
Pakistani military officials claim ground and air attacks have killed more than 1,000 militants in the ongoing offensive. The military has also confirmed more than 63 soldiers have died in the fighting.
巴基斯坦军方官员称，在持续进攻中，地面和空中袭击已经杀死了1千多名激进分子。军方还证实有63名以上的政府军阵亡。
But while flying over the valley, there was little evidence of the intense fighting. General Ghani insists this is because army raids and strikes are mostly hitting militant hideouts set up in high mountains. He dismissed suggestions that many civilians have also died in the army shelling.
但从飞机上看下去，那里似乎没有发生过激战。加尼将军则坚持说，这是因为军队的袭击和进攻主要打击的是深山里的激进分子藏身地。他还驳回了很多平民死于军队炮轰的说法。
"In fact from this place and as you have flown up the helicopter, you must have seen a lot of the houses, a lot of the towns," said Ghani. "Please show me one destroyed house with an artillery shell or with a bomb strike and I will be convinced. There is none what so ever."
加尼说：“事实上，从直升飞机上你们一定看到了很多房屋，很多城镇。如果你们能够指出任何一所被炮弹毁坏或者是击中的房子，我就会相信那种说法。”
Pakistani army says militant commander Maulana Fazalullah is hiding
Militants in the Swat region are being led by extremist cleric, Maulana Fazalullah, who is believed to be hiding in his stronghold of Peochar, which Pakistani troops have currently surrounded.
极端分子教士法扎拉赫是斯瓦特山谷的激进分子的首领，据信他藏匿在皮奥查的某个地方，巴基斯坦军队已经将那里包围。
Since establishing his control over most of the valley two years ago, the Taliban commander has ordered kidnappings and executions of a large number of security personnel as well as pro-government politicians.
这位塔利班首领自从两年前控制了斯瓦特山谷的大部分地区以来下令绑架和杀死了大量保安人员和亲政府的政治人士。
Commander General Ghani says his forces are looking for Fazalullah. He says the extremist cleric is on the run and keeps changing his locations. The general does not rule out the possibility of terrorist leaders including Fazalullah slipping out of the area.
加尼将军说，他的军队正在搜捕法扎拉赫。他说，这名在逃的极端分子教士不断改变他的藏身地。加尼不排除包括法扎拉赫在内的恐怖分子头目已经逃出该地区的可能性。
"This is a very difficult area. It is a rugged terrain it is very high mountains, deep valleys, thickly wooded and forested areas. The lay of the terrain and geography is such that it provides him [Fazalullah] indeed with ample opportunities to make his escape good," he said.
他说：“这个地区地形险要，很难以展开军事行动，充满了险峰，深谷和茂密的森林。这样的地形和地理条件确实能让法扎拉赫有很多机会逃脱。”
The Pakistani military has launched several offensives in Swat in the past two years to rein in Taliban extremists. Opposition parties and the local population criticized it for using force rather than negotiations.
过去两年来，巴基斯坦政府军在斯瓦特山谷几次大举进攻，目的就是要控制住塔利班极端份子。反对派政党和当地民众批评巴基斯坦政府动用武力、而不是通过协商的方式来解决问题。
Analysts say Taliban lost public support in Swat
However, observers and military officials say that public support for the Taliban has almost disappeared in recent months because of extreme acts, such as slaughtering opponents, flogging people for alleged un-Islamic acts and violating their own commitments to end the violence.
不过，观察人士和军方官员都表示，由于塔利班所采取的一些极端的行为，比如说血腥屠杀和他们意见不同的人，对那些被认为是做了违反伊斯兰教的人当众鞭笞、并且还违背了他们自己所做的结束暴力的承诺，最近几个月来，公众对塔利班的支持几乎已经消失殆尽。
Critics fear support for the current army action may not last longer if the war against the Taliban in Swat and neighboring districts drags on and hundreds of thousands of displaced families are neglected.
批评人士担心，假如政府军和塔利班之间在斯瓦特山谷以及附近地区的交战不能速战速决，相反长期持续下去、而且成千上万的难民得不到很好的安排的话，那么，公众对政府目前采取的战略的支持恐怕持续不了多久。
When the full-scale military operation began in the valley early this month, officials estimated there where as many as five thousand Taliban militants. Pakistani military claims a majority of the fighters, mostly new recruits have fled the offensive and those still fighting are being described as hardcore militants.
本月稍早在河谷展开全方位军事活动的时候，官员们预计那里有多达500名塔利斑激进分子。巴基斯坦军方声称许多战斗人员，其中大部分是新召募来的，都已经从战火中逃离，而那些依旧在战斗的则被描述为死硬的激进分子。
Pakistani army officers say their mission is to kill all of them, dismissing suggestions they their soldiers are being sucked into an unending guerilla war in the Swat region. While security forces are on the verge of capturing the town of Mingora, the administrative center of the valley, regional commanders are confident most territory in Swat will be made safe within next two months to allow displaced families to return to their homes in the former tourist haven.
巴基斯坦军方官员们说，他们的任务是将激进份子全部杀死，否认外界认为他们的军人被无止尽的游击队战斗困在斯瓦特地区。当维安部队正要占领河谷的行政中心明戈拉城之际，地区指挥官们很有信心，在接下来两个月内，斯瓦特地区大部分领土将恢复安全，而流离失所的家庭将可以回到这原本是旅游天堂的家乡。 |