美国国家公共电台 NPR 美国将从伊拉克撤军超过2000人（在线收听）

U.S. military officials today announced a further reduction in American troops in Iraq. Currently, the U.S. has about 5,200 troops there. That number is now expected to drop to 3,000 by the end of the year. For more, we're joined by NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman and international correspondent Jane Arraf in Amman, Jordan.

美国军方官员今天宣布，驻伊拉克美军人数将进一步削减。目前，大约有5200名美军士兵驻扎在伊拉克。预计到今年年底，这一数字将削减至3000人。下面我们来连线NPR新闻驻五角大楼记者汤姆·鲍曼和目前在约旦安曼的国际记者简·阿拉夫，请他们进行详细介绍。

And Tom, let's start with you. What is the significance of this news on the Defense Department side?

汤姆，我想先问一下你。这一消息对美国国防部来说有何意义？

TOM BOWMAN, BYLINE: You know, Sacha, it's not all that significant. The president campaigned on reducing troops, of course, and he's been telegraphing troop cuts in Iraq for weeks, if not months. General Frank McKenzie, the top general overseeing operations in the region, says with that reduced number, the Americans can still train Iraqis and go after the remnants of ISIS in both Iraq and Syria.

汤姆·鲍曼连线：萨夏，这没有多重要。总统在竞选中呼吁削减军队，当然，即使没有几个月，那也可以说数周来他一直在透露削减驻伊美军的决定。美军驻中东部队最高指挥官弗兰克·麦肯齐将军表示，驻军人数削减后，美军仍可以训练伊拉克军队，并继续追击伊拉克和叙利亚境内的ISIS残余势力。

By the way, we were told two years ago by Pentagon officials that they expected to keep 3,000 to 5,000 troops in Iraq for some time, maybe years. So it sounds like the president is taking that advice. Now, of course, many will say this has more to do with an upcoming election than national security, but such a move by a president is really not that unusual. President Obama cut troops by more than 20,000 in Afghanistan in September 2012 when he was running for reelection.

顺便说一下，五角大楼官员曾在两年前告诉我们，他们希望一段时间内在伊拉克保留3000至5000名士兵，这可能会持续几年。听起来总统采纳了这一建议。当然，现在许多人会说，相比国家安全，这与即将举行的美国大选的关系更大，但总统采取这类举措其实并不罕见。2012年9月，奥巴马总统在竞选连任时从阿富汗撤军2万人。

PFEIFFER: And Jane, let's talk about the significance in Iraq. What can you tell us about what U.S. troops are now doing there and how this news might affect that?

菲佛：简，我们再来谈谈这对伊拉克的意义。你能介绍一下目前美军在伊拉克的任务以及这则消息可能如何影响美军的任务吗？

JANE ARRAF, BYLINE: So a lot of those numbers — the 5,000 — is force protection 'cause it takes a lot of military personnel to protect those advisers who are actually advising Iraqi forces. And they're not doing so much training because most of that is being done by U.S. coalition partners. And one of the things with this announcement we're seeing — countries, including Germany, saying they'll also draw down since they rely on the U.S. And they've made pretty clear all along they won't be able to stay in the numbers they're at now if the U.S. draws down.

简·阿拉夫连线：大多数美军，大约5000人的任务是部队保护，因为需要大量军事人员保护为伊拉克部队提供建议的顾问。他们没有进行太多训练，因为大多数训练任务由美国的盟军伙伴完成。这份声明公布后，包括德国在内的一些国家表示，由于依赖于美国，所以他们也将削减驻军人数。他们一直明确表示，如果美国撤军，那他们无法将驻军人数维持在目前的水平。

So a lot of the assistance there was — that was U.S. commanders basically assisting and advising officer to officer with Iraqi officers to help them plan and execute anti-ISIS operations. So we should also keep in mind they've been consolidating for a while, moving out of bases. And they'll tell you that's because they're no longer needed there, but it's also because they've been attacked regularly by Iran-backed militias. General McKenzie, who announced the drawdown, referred to it. He said over the last few months they've had to devote resources to self-protection that they would otherwise devote for the counter-ISIS fight. So that's pretty telling.

美军基本上在进行协助工作，美国指挥官协助和建议伊拉克官员，帮助他们计划和执行对抗ISIS的行动。我们应该记住的是，一段时间以来他们一直在进行调整，开始迁出基地。他们会告诉你，这是因为那里不再需要他们，但同时也因为他们经常遭遇伊朗支持的民兵的袭击。宣布撤军消息的麦肯齐将军提到了这一点。他说，过去几个月，他们不得不用本应用于对抗ISIS的资源来自卫。所以这很能说明问题。

PFEIFFER: And Jane, how is the troop reduction likely to be viewed by Iraqis?

菲佛：简，伊拉克方面如何看待美国撤军？

ARRAF: Well, definitely some Iraqis, along with political parties and militias — and a lot of those are Iran-backed — they will see this as a victory. You'll recall that the U.S. launched a drone strike in January that killed a top Iranian commander and a senior Iraqi official. And after that, the U.S. military presence became even more controversial in Iraq. So as Tom mentioned, more than a military issue, almost, the troop presence is a political one in Iraq. It's one of sovereignty.

阿拉夫：一些伊拉克人，包括伊拉克一些政党和大部分由伊朗支持的民兵，肯定会将这视为胜利。你应该记得，美国在今年1月发动的无人机袭击致一名伊朗最高指挥官和一名伊拉克高级官员死亡。之后，驻伊美军在伊拉克成为更具争议性的问题。如汤姆所说，驻军不只是军事问题，这在伊拉克可以算是政治问题。是主权问题。

And we have to note, too, that it isn't like Iraqis are seeing U.S. forces in the streets. So really, it's pretty much about politics. And by that token, this is good for the new Iraqi prime minister, as well as possibly for President Trump. Iraqi military commanders won't necessarily agree. They have welcomed the U.S. military assistance. They just don't say that so much in public.

同时我们也要指出，这与伊拉克人看到美军出现在街头不同。因此，这与政治关系更大。由此看来，这对伊拉克新任总理有利，同时可能也对特朗普总统有利。伊拉克军事指挥官不一定同意。他们欢迎美国军队的协助。他们只是没怎么公开表达过而已。

PFEIFFER: Tom, as you mentioned, there have been pledges before to bring U.S. troops home. But there are still U.S. boots on the ground, and not just in Iraq — the wider region. Can you give us the current status of American troop presence in the wider region there?

菲佛：汤姆，你刚才提到，美国领导人之前就承诺过让美军回家。但现在仍有美军驻扎在其他国家，不仅是伊拉克，而是更广泛的地区。你能介绍一下美国在其他地方的驻军情况吗？

BOWMAN: There are still about 6,500 troops in Afghanistan, and that number is expected to drop to 4,000. The big question for Afghanistan will be next spring. All troops are supposed to be out under the U.S.-Taliban agreement. The U.S. would like to keep a small number of troops for a counterterror mission, but that would have to be worked out.

鲍曼：目前有约6500名美军驻扎在阿富汗，预计这一数字将削减至4000人。阿富汗面临的重大问题将在明年春天来临。依据美军与塔利班达成的协议，届时美军将全部撤出阿富汗。美国希望为反恐任务保留少量军队，但这必须进行安排。

As far as a wider region, Sacha, the U.S. has actually increased the troop presence since the spring because of the administration's concerns about Iran — so thousands more troops, aircraft of various countries, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait — all this despite Trump's stated hopes to get out of the Middle East.

萨夏，至于更广泛的地区，由于政府对伊朗的担忧，所以美国实际上从今年春季开始了增加驻军人数，尽管特朗普希望撤出中东地区，但美国在沙特阿拉伯和科威特等国部署了更多的兵力和飞机。

PFEIFFER: That's NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman and international correspondent Jane Arraf.

菲佛：以上是NPR新闻驻五角大楼记者汤姆·鲍曼和国际记者简·阿拉夫带来的报道。

Thanks to both of you.

谢谢二位。

ARRAF: Thank you.

阿拉夫：谢谢。

BOWMAN: You're welcome.

鲍曼：不客气。