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美国密切关注伊拉克暴力

President Barack Obama and his advisers¹ are keeping a close watch on Iraq, where government forces are confronting al-Qaida-linked militants². Washington is sending surveillance drones and missiles and is urging Iraq's Shiite-dominated government and Sunni tribal³ leaders to unite against the militants. However, analysts⁵ think the U.S. has few options.

美国总统奥巴马和他的顾问们正在密切关注伊拉克局势。美国一方面加强伊拉克的军备，向伊拉克出售无人侦察机和导弹，一方面敦促什叶派为主的伊拉克政府和逊尼派部落领导人团结一致对抗激进分子。但是分析人士说，美国的选择并不多。

In Ramadi and Fallujah, in western Anbar province, Iraqi government troops face off against Islamist militants linked to al-Qaida. In the most serious threat to central authority since U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq in 2011, the Sunni militants have taken over parts of both cities.

伊拉克政府军在安巴尔省的拉马迪和费卢杰正在同跟基地组织有关的伊斯兰激进分子作战。逊尼派激进分子已占领了这两个城市的很多地区。这是美国军队2011年从伊拉克撤军以来，伊拉克政府面临的最严重的威胁。

The current insurgency⁶ appears similar to what U.S. troops faced after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has urged tribal leaders in Anbar to expel the al-Qaida elements.

目前的局势似乎已经倒退到美军2003年出兵伊拉克前的局面。伊拉克总理马利基敦促安巴尔的部落领导人驱逐基地组织成员。

However, observers such as Brookings Institution national security analyst⁴, Michael O'Hanlon warn that the violence could spiral out of control.

但是布鲁金斯学会的国家安全分析家迈克尔.奥汉隆说，伊拉克的暴力还可能加剧。

"If you go in brutally⁷ and you suppress one group in one neighborhood at one time, you may be simply stoking the resentments⁸ and angers of other groups of the same sectarian background. And so you generate new enemies even as you have neutralized⁹ or killed others," said O’Hanlon.

他说：“如果你残酷镇压一个地区的某个组织，就可能引发属于相同派系的其他组织的不满和服怒。因此，即使在你制服或打死其他人的时候，你又制造了新的敌人。”

President Obama considers the withdrawal¹⁰ from Iraq among his major accomplishments¹¹, although the two countries failed to agree on keeping a residual¹² U.S. military presence.

奥巴马总统把从伊拉克撤军当成是他的主要政绩之一。但是目前美国和伊拉克还未能就剩余的美军在伊拉克的问题达成协议。

Obama has ruled out sending combat forces back to the country, but is sending air-to-ground missiles and surveillance drones.

奥巴马已经排除向伊拉克派遣战斗部队的可能性，但是却在向伊拉克部署空对地导弹和无人侦察机。

Responding to renewed criticism on Iraq from Republican lawmakers, White House spokesman Jay Carney said that there's no reason to think that U.S. troops could have prevented sectarian conflict.

白宫发言人卡尼在回答共和党议员提出的最新批评时说，没有理由认为美军能阻止目前的派系冲突。

"There was sectarian conflict -- violent sectarian conflict -- in Iraq when there were 150,000 U.S. troops on the ground there. So the idea that this would not be happening if there were 10,000 troops in Iraq, I think, bears scrutiny," said Carney.

他说：“当初有15万美军驻扎在伊拉克时那里也有派系冲突，因此，那种认为如果在伊拉克的美军人数为1万人时，派系冲突就不会发生的想法是经不住推敲的。”

Military analyst Anthony Cordesman said that the violence in Anbar province is part of a wider struggle between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in the region.

军事分析人士安东尼.柯狄斯曼说，安巴尔省的冲突不过是逊尼派和什叶派穆斯林在中东地区更大范围冲突的一部分。

Cordesman believes the U.S. needs to find the least bad option.

他说，美国没有什么上策。

"A lot of what we can do is simply to, very quietly, try to bring the factions¹³ together, to push the Maliki government to take a more balanced view, to treat the Sunnis, give them more respect, to stop this kind of series of political purges," said Cordesman.

他说：“我们能做的事情，就是慢慢地设法让各个派系团结起来，敦促马利基政府采取更平衡的政策对待逊尼派，给予他们更多尊重，遏制这种一系列的政治清洗。”

Nearly 4,500 U.S. soldiers died in Iraq between 2003 and 2011.

近4500名美军官兵在2003年至2011年期间在伊拉克丧生。

Polls show the conflict was among the most divisive for Americans, with many still questioning what was accomplished¹⁴.

民调显示，美国人对伊拉克战争的看法分歧相当大，很多美国人仍然质疑伊拉克战争到底取得了什么成果。