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　　The Pentagon is preparing what it calls a "pilot program" to organize local Afghan citizens to help secure their towns and neighborhoods. The program is similar to one in Iraq that was a key factor in security improvements there during the last year.
美国国防部正准备在阿富汗推广一项试验计划，把阿富汗民众组织起来，帮助加强市镇和邻里的治安。在过去一年里，在伊拉克实行的一项类似计划对改善伊拉克的治安状况发挥了关键作用。
Pentagon Spokesman Bryan Whitman confirmed the plan to launch the program, which was first reported by The New York Times.
纽约时报首先报道了五角大楼即将实施这项计划的消息，五角大楼发言人布莱恩.惠特曼对此加以确认。
"It is, I guess, best described as kind of a grassroots program, with prospects¹ that could lead to improved Afghanistan security," Whitman said. "This is more of a pilot program, a very modest initial look at a community type policing program."
惠特曼说：“我想，形容这项计划的最好方式是把它称为一个改善阿富汗治安状况的基层项目。它是一项试验计划，是一项加强社区安全的初步尝试。”
Whitman describes the plan as an Afghan government initiative that U.S. and NATO forces are supporting. He says it will start in Wardak Province, near Kabul, where Taliban fighters have been gaining strength in recent months.
惠特曼说，这项计划是由阿富汗政府发起的，得到了美国和北约部队的支持，将首先在邻近喀布尔的瓦尔达克省实施。塔利班在那里的势力几个月来不断加强。
Whitman says the idea is to deputize local citizens to improve security and extend the reach of the Afghan government.
惠特曼说，这项计划的要点是把改善治安的权力下放给民众，扩大阿富汗政府的影响力。
"This is designed to facilitate sharing of information, building trust, all with an eye toward improving governance at the district and provincial² level and connecting it better to the central government," Whitman said.
他说：“实行这项计划的目的是促进情报的分享，建立信任，改善地区和省级政府的治理能力，加强地方政府和中央政府的联系。”
Whitman says the initial program will involve only several dozen Afghans, but the Times says commanders plan to expand it rapidly if it succeeds.
惠特曼表示，最初的计划只涉及到几十名阿富汗人，但是纽约时报报道说，如果最初的计划获得成功，美军指挥官打算迅速推广这种做法。
A similar program in Iraq organized more than 100,000 local citizens, including former insurgents³, and put them at checkpoints and local police stations. Commanders credit the program with improving security, partly by turning government opponents into allies. The Iraqi government is in the process of taking responsibility for those forces, absorbing some into the security services and disbanding others.
在伊拉克实行的一项相似的计划把10万多民众，其中包括前反叛份子组织起来，在检查站和警察局值勤。美军指挥官们把伊拉克治安的改善归功于这项计划，因为它把政府的敌人变成了政府的朋友。伊拉克政府目前正在接管这些组织，把其中一些人编入安全部队，同时解散另外一些人。
Officials say it was not necessary to provide weapons to the Iraqi groups, which became known as the Sons of Iraq. The New York Times says there is a plan to provide arms to the Afghan citizens' groups, but Whitman could not confirm that. The Times also quotes Afghans as saying the plan could lead to new local militias⁴ and potentially spark a civil war. But Whitman says it is "premature⁵" to be concerned about such things.
官员们表示，这些伊拉克组织被称为“伊拉克之子”，政府不必向他们提供武器。纽约时报报道说，有计划向阿富汗民众组织提供武器，但是惠特曼不能确认这种说法。纽约时报还援引一些阿富汗人的话说，这项计划可能导致新的地方民兵的出现，并有可能激发一场内战。但是惠特曼表示，现在就担心这些事情“为时尚早”。
The former U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, is now in charge of U.S. efforts in both wars. He has said he wants to transfer some of the concepts used in Iraq to the increasingly difficult fight in Afghanistan. And while he acknowledges the two wars are very different, and he has not said exactly which techniques will transfer and which will not, he believes both have the same top priority - providing security so government efforts to build long-term stability can take hold.
美国前驻伊拉克指挥官彼得雷乌斯将军目前正指挥着伊拉克和阿富汗两场战争。他曾表示，希望把在伊拉克使用的一些概念应用到日益艰难的阿富汗战争中去。他承认，这两场战争有很大的不同之处，而且他也没有说明将转用哪些作法，但是他认为两场战争的重点都是一样的，那就是确保治安，这样政府就可以努力建立长期和持续的稳定。