库尔德武装请求美国支援
美国支持的一个库尔德民兵组织呼吁华盛顿方面提供支援，以抵抗土耳其在叙利亚境内发动的攻击，突显美国被拖入这场战争的又一条战线的风险。
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.
自土耳其上周末对叙利亚西北部的库尔德飞地阿夫林(Afrin)发起进攻以来，华盛顿方面一直在艰难地维持外交平衡。土耳其和美国之间的关系本已跌至低谷，部分原因就是美国对叙利亚境内库尔德作战人员的支持;土耳其认为这支力量是一个恐怖组织的分支。
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.
美国武装并训练了一支名为“叙利亚民主军”(SDF)的民兵联盟，它已成为美国在打击“伊拉克和黎凡特伊斯兰国”(ISIS)的地面战斗中的主要合作伙伴，但该联盟由库尔德民兵组织“人民保卫军”(YPG)主导，而土耳其认为YPG对其国家安全构成了威胁。
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.
美国官员表示，他们只支持在叙利亚东部作战的部队，那里驻扎着大约2000名美军。他们辩称，五角大楼与阿夫林的部队没有联系。但昨天，SDF要求华盛顿站在他们一边，并表示，他们可能会从美国支持的东部地区向阿夫林调派增援部队，这使华盛顿方面安抚土耳其的努力进一步复杂化。
“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.
“(美国领导的)国际联盟——我们打击恐怖主义的伙伴——和我们一起为粉碎恐怖主义进行了一场光荣的战斗……国际联盟完全了解土耳其的入侵意在破坏这些胜利，”SDF声明说。“我们呼吁国际联盟对我们在阿夫林的部队和人民承担责任。”土耳其把叙利亚境内的所有库尔德民兵组织一概视为库尔德工人党(PKK)的分支，该党发起了反对土耳其的叛乱。土耳其也担心在其南部边境出现一个自治的库尔德地区。
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”.
美国国务卿雷克斯•蒂勒森(Rex Tillerson，见文首照片)试图淡化与土耳其这个北约盟友之间的紧张关系。他表示，安卡拉方面“对于恐怖分子越境进入土耳其并发起袭击的担忧是正当的，我们理解他们保卫自己的权利”。
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.”
但他补充称：“目前的局势较为棘手，很多平民置身于战场。因此我方促请他们尽量精准，尽量限制行动，尽量展现出克制。”
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded angrily to a US plea for the offensive against Afrin to remain “limited in scope and duration”.
对于美国呼吁土耳其在进攻阿夫林的行动中“保持范围和持续时间有限”，土耳其总统雷杰普•塔伊普•埃尔多安(Recep Tayyip Erdogan)作出了愤怒回应。
“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，我也有问题问你(华盛顿)，”他表示，“你们在阿富汗行动的时间长度是否明确?什么时候结束?”他补充道：“阿夫林行动在达到目标后就会结束。”
