A controversial but still powerful former Afghan warlord has flown back to the country from exile to campaign for President Hamid Karzai. The return home of the Communist-era militia general is seen as a boost for the incumbent president's campaign.
阿富汗一位具有争议但仍保有权势的流亡军阀返回阿富汗，为总统卡尔扎伊助选。这位共产党执政时期的将军回国被认为给卡尔扎伊的竞选带来极大鼓舞。
Just after Afghanistan's government announced it had no objection to his return, former Uzbek warlordjetted home from exile in Turkey. He wasted no time injecting himself into the final hours of the presidential campaign, throwing his support behind President Karzai.
在阿富汗政府刚刚宣布不反对杜斯塔姆回国之后，这位流亡的前乌兹别克军阀就从土耳其飞回了阿富汗。在总统竞选的最后时刻，杜斯塔姆显然没有浪费任何时间，立刻投身到为总统卡尔扎伊助选当中。
That is of no small significance. Dostum himself collected ten percent of the votes in the 2004 election and many of his fellow Uzbeks will follow his lead.
杜斯塔姆的影响力不可忽视。他在2004年总统选举中获得了10%的选票，许多乌兹别克选民支持他。
Both the United Nations and the United States are upset about Dostum's return. The U.S. Embassy here released a statement saying Dostum's reputation raises "questions of his culpability for massive human rights violations."
但联合国和美国对杜斯塔姆的回国感到不安。美国驻阿富汗大使馆发表声明说，杜斯塔姆的的声誉令人“对他大量侵犯人权的罪责产生质疑”。
Kabul University political science professor Wadir Safi tells VOA that President Karzai's embrace of the general may have a short-term political gain to capture the Uzbek vote, but will further undermine the President's credibility with the majority.
喀布尔大学政治学教授萨菲对美国之音说，卡尔扎伊对杜斯塔姆的欢迎可能产生一些短期政治效益，帮助他获得乌兹别克选民的投票，但这也会进一步损害他在多数人中的可信度。
"He has lost his trust [with] the people of Afghanistan because of these acts and not applying justice in the society and supporting the war criminals. He can not be successful in the future by bringing such personalities beside him," said Safi.
“他的这些举措，还有他在社会中不去伸张正义，支持战争罪犯，让他失去了阿富汗人民的信任。他把这样的人带在身边，将来就不可能成功。”
A U.S. State Department report quote witnesses as saying that during the American-led war to overthrow the Taliban, Gen. Dostum's forces suffocated prisoners in sealed cargo containers.
美国国务院的一份报告援引目击者的话称，在美国领导的推翻塔利班的战争中，杜斯塔姆将军的部队在封闭的货运集装箱里闷死很多囚犯。
Last year, Dostum was accused of a drunken attack on a rival.
去年，杜斯塔姆被控酒后攻击一名竞争对手。
The general, who has a reputation for switching allegiances, holds the ceremonial post of Chief of Staff to the Afghan National Army's Commander-in-Chief.
杜斯塔姆以前也曾几次改变效忠的对象。他曾担任过象征性的阿富汗全国部队总指挥的参谋长。
Mr. Karzai, who has been president for seven years, is leading all challengers. But polls show him falling short of the 50 percent threshold to avoid a runoff election.
已任总统七年的卡尔扎伊在所有候选人中处于领先，但民意调查显示，他的支持率不足50%，有可能面临决选。
The Taliban are vowing to disrupt Thursday's balloting. To counter the threat, a massive security operation is planned for election day. Several hundred thousand Afghan forces and international troops are being deployed to secure nearly 29,000 voting sites nationwide.
塔利班扬言要扰乱星期四的选举。为了防范塔利班的威胁，阿富汗政府计划在大选这天展开大规模保安行动。目前在全国各地近2万9000个投票点，已经部署了数十万阿富汗部队和国际部队以确保安全。 |