土耳其武装部队空袭在伊拉克的库尔德叛军

AS IT IS 2015-07-30 Turkey Bombs Kurdish Rebel Targets in Iraq 土耳其武装部队空袭在伊拉克的库尔德叛军

Until about 10 days ago, the talk around Turkey was whether a coalition¹ government should be formed before early August. Then, a suicide bomber² attacked a gathering³ in Suruc, a Turkish town near the Syrian border. More than 30 people were killed. On the other side of the border, Kurdish militias⁴ are fighting Islamic State forces in the Syrian town of Kobani.

The Suruc bombing could affect negotiations⁵ on forming a coalition. If Turkish lawmakers fail to reach an agreement, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be required to call new elections.

Turkish officials have blamed the Islamic State for the bombing. The attack led the government to launch a campaign against hundreds of suspected militants⁷. The suspects are said to have ties either to the Islamic State or to the Kurdish rebels fighting for self-rule.

Last weekend, the Turkish armed forces launched air strikes. From Friday into Saturday, the military hit positions of both the Kurdistan Workers Party in Iraq and Islamic State forces in Syria.

The United States and its NATO allies have expressed support for the Turkish air offensive. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke⁸ after a meeting in Brussels on Tuesday.

“NATO is following developments very closely and we stand in strong solidarity⁹ with our ally Turkey.”

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization also condemned¹⁰ “terrorism in all its forms.”

The NATO statement came hours before the Turkish military reported new air strikes on the Kurdistan Workers Party, known as the PKK. This time, the strikes were in southeastern Turkey. The PKK is banned under Turkish law.

President Erdogan proposed peace negotiations with Kurdish representatives in 2012. But on Tuesday, he said it was impossible to continue peace efforts with the Kurds. A few hours later, Turkish aircraft bombed Kurdish militant⁶ positions in northern Iraq. The Iraqi government condemned the attacks as a “dangerous escalation¹¹ and an assault on Iraqi sovereignty.”

The air raids come less than two weeks before Turkish lawmakers need to agree on a coalition deal to keep the government operating. For the first time, a party linked to the Kurds is represented in Turkey’s national assembly. Parliamentary elections in June failed to give any party a majority.

In the United States, Turkey watchers are closely following the developments. David Pollock is with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He told VOA that President Erdogan may be using the current situation partly for political purposes. With the air strikes, he said, Mr. Erdogan could increase support for his Justice and Development Party among Turkish voters.

“The more international emergencies, the more that voters are likely to think we need a good, strong, stable government,” says Sinan Ciddi, a visiting assistant professor at Georgetown University. He noted¹² that “it’s always in Erdogan’s interest to draw out the government formation process.”

Kurdish fighters have been battling the Islamic State in neighboring Iraq and Syria. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said this week that his country’s air strikes are against the PKK, not the Kurds in general.

The United States has expressed strong support for the Turkish offensive. U.S. diplomatic officials described the timing¹³ of the air raid against the PKK as unconnected. That raid had “nothing to do with our discussions with Turkey on the fight against the Islamic State,” one official said Tuesday.

But a former head of the PKK-linked Kurdish Democratic Union Party in Syria says Turkey seized a moment to attack the Kurds, a long-time enemy. “Turkey always had plans to attack the Kurds, and now sees it as the best time to do so,” said former party chief Fuad Omer.

But Sinan Ciddi is warning that the two air campaigns could hurt President Erdogan. His policy pulls Turkey actively¹⁴ into the anti-Islamic State efforts along the country’s border with Syria and Iraq. It could also affect any new elections. In his words, Mr. “Erdogan is a big risk taker,” but “this is the biggest risk he has ever taken.”

Words in This Story

solidarity – n. support

escalation – n. a rise or increase in intensity¹⁵

sovereignty – n. the power of a state to govern itself

assembly – n. parliament

draw out – v. to stretch out or extend

1 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

2 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

3 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

4 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

5 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

6 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

7 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

10 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

11 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

12 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

13 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

14 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

15 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。