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美军随时待命，打击伊拉克激进分子

The United States says that, for now, it is only sending military advisers¹ to Baghdad to help the Iraqi government combat advances by militant² Sunni Islamists, known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). But the Pentagon says U.S. forces are poised³ to strike - if ordered to do so.

美国表示，目前只派遣军事顾问协助伊拉克政府抵御逊尼派伊斯兰激进分子的军事行动。但美国之音记者塞尔丁从国防部发来报道说，美国部队已经做好准备，一旦接到命令，就发动攻击。

In the waters of the Persian Gulf⁴, there are already reminders⁵ of the long reach of America’s military might as President Barack Obama warns the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant not to rest easy.

奥巴马总统对“伊拉克和黎凡特伊斯兰国”的激进分子发出警告。

“We will be prepared to take targeted and precise military action if and when we determine that the situation on the ground requires it,” said Obama.

他说：“一旦我们确认形势需要，我们会随时采取定点和精确军事行动。”

The U.S. has been moving resources into place for days. On board the USS George HW Bush there are about 70 aircraft, including FA-18 Super Hornets and E-2C Hawkeyes, able to help coordinate⁶ strikes.

美国最近一直在调遣人力物力。乔治HW布什号航母上有大约70架飞机协调攻击行动，其中包括FA-18超级大黄蜂和E-2C鹰眼战斗机。

Additionally, the U.S. Air Force says it has 90 to 100 aircraft - from fighters to bombers⁷ to drones - ready to go within hours.

此外，美国空军有90到100架飞机可以随时升空，包括战斗机、轰炸机和无人机。

Retired⁸ Air Force Lieutenant⁹ General David Deptula says “it is a situation that is tailor-made for air power.”

退役空军中将德普图拉说：“这种情况最适宜使用空中力量。”

And with those aircraft in place, Deptula says ISIL militants¹⁰ could find Baghdad to be out of reach.

德普图拉说，有这些战机随时待命，激进分子别想拿下巴格达。

“They have to move in sufficient numbers to make a difference.  But even if they don’t, with persistent¹¹ surveillance, you can watch the movement and eliminate it as it occurs,” says Deptula, who is now dean at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace¹² Studies.

他说：“他们必须出动足够多的人才能有所斩获，但持续不断的侦查监视，使得他们即使有小动作，也会被消灭。”

That’s not to say using air power against ISIL would be easy, a point made by the top U.S. military official to lawmakers Tuesday.

但美国参谋长联席会议主席邓普西星期二告诉国会议员说，对激进分子进行空中打击并不容易。

“These forces are very much intermingled. It’s not as easy as looking at an iPhone video of a convoy¹³ and them immediately striking it," said General Martin Dempsey, Chairman, of the Joint¹⁴ Chiefs of Staff.

他说：“那些武装组织都混杂在一起，不是说从智能手机上看到一队人马的视频就可以立即实施打击的。”

Part of ISIL’s success comes from its willingness to bury itself in civilian¹⁵ populations.  And drawing them out may take some help - like an effective Iraqi army, says former Army Ranger¹⁶ and military analyst¹⁷, Paul Floyd, now with Stratfor.

“伊拉克和黎凡特伊斯兰国”激进分子之所以能取得进展，部分原因在于他们和平民混杂在一起。军事分析员弗洛伊德说，把激进分子和平民区分开来，需要一支有效的伊拉克军队的帮助。

“They (the Iraqi security forces) would actually have to be making gains on the ground, flushing ISIL or ISIS out of urban populations to where they could be exposed and open to attacks,” says Floyd.

他说：“伊拉克安全部队必须在地面取得进展，把激进分子从城市人群中赶到开阔地带，然后才能攻击他们。”

For now, the U.S. seems content to fly an increasing number of manned surveillance planes and drones over Iraq, building an ever more precise picture of ISIL’s forces for if and when the call comes to strike.

眼下，美国所做的就是派更多的有人驾驶侦察机和无人机飞越伊拉克，更准确地锁定激进分子的位置，为实施打击做好准备。