VOA双语新闻 US Increasing Troop Levels in Iraq（在线收听）

More U.S. troops are on their way to Iraq ahead of elections set for the end of January. The additional forces are intended to bolster security at a time when the country's insurgency is threatening to prevent voting in areas of the country dominated by Iraq's Sunni minority, some of whom are demanding that the election be postponed.

在伊拉克定于明年一月举行选举之前，美国正在向伊拉克增派部队，以巩固治安。反叛分子威胁说，他们要在以逊尼派为主的地区展开行动，阻止投票。有些逊尼派则要求推迟选举。

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld approved a request from the top U.S. commander in Iraq to extend the rotations of more than 10,000 American troops in the country, while at the same time ordering the deployment of an additional 1500 active duty soldiers. That would put the total number of American troops in Iraq about 150,000 the most since the U.S. led invasion in March of last year.

国防部长拉姆斯菲尔德批准了驻伊拉克美军最高指挥官的要求，把1万多名目前驻扎在伊拉克的美国部队的轮调期延长，同时下令向伊拉克增派1千5百名现役军人。这将使驻伊美军的总人数达到15万人，这是去年三月美国攻入伊拉克以来最多的兵力。

Among those headed for Iraq are two battalions from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

调往伊拉克的部队包括以北卡罗莱纳州布拉格堡为基地的陆军第82空降师的两个营。

The decision to raise troop levels reflects on going concerns about security ahead of elections scheduled for January 30, and whether parts of the country engulfed in insurgency will be secure in time for the voting. Defense Secretary Rumsfeld has raised the possibility that some areas of Iraq may not be safe enough to ensure voting can take place. But there is also concern that if Iraq's Sunni minority do not take part in the vote or see the election as illegitimate, the insurgency could grow worse.

增兵决定反映出美国对伊拉克选举前的安全局势越来越感到担心。选举定于1月30号举行，但是，那些反叛势力猖獗的地区届时是否能有一个必要的安全环境，成为一个严峻的问题。国防部长拉姆斯菲尔德曾提到，伊拉克某些地区可能不够安全，无法选举。但是人们又担心，如果在伊拉克占人口少数的逊尼派不参预选举或者认为选举不合法，那么反叛武装的暴力斗争只会愈演愈烈。