The White House says next week President Bush will announce his plans for U.S. troop levels in Iraq for the rest of his time in office, an announcement that will also affect how many additional troops he can send to Afghanistan. Officials say senior military officers have recommended no further Iraq withdrawals this year, and only a small one early next year, which could make it difficult for commanders to address the increased attacks by insurgents in Afghanistan.
白宫表示，布什总统下星期将宣布在他任期的最后一段时间里驻伊拉克美军规模的计划。这项宣布也将影响到他能够向阿富汗增派部队的数量。有关官员说，军方高级官员已经向总统建议今年不再从伊拉克撤军，明年初再撤回少量部队。这可能会使在阿富汗的美军指挥官很难对付暴乱分子日益增加的袭击。
President Bush's long-awaited announcement is expected next Monday or Tuesday, before Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the top U.S. military officer Admiral Mike Mullen testify before a congressional committee on Wednesday. Those men gave their recommendations to the president two days ago, and officials say they included the views of the top coalition commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus. They also included the views of the heads of the U.S. military services, who have been particularly concerned about the stress on the force caused by multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
预计，布什总统会在下星期一或星期二宣布这项人们期待已久的计划。此后，美国国防部长盖茨和美军参谋长联席会议主席马伦星期三将在国会一个委员会作证。两天前，这两个人向布什提出了上述建议。有官员说，他们的建议包括美军驻伊拉克最高指挥官彼德雷乌斯将军的看法，也包括美国各大军种高级指挥官的看法。这些指挥官一直对美军由于在伊拉克和阿富汗两地布防而不堪重负的情况忧心忡忡。
On condition of anonymity, officials have told news reporters the recommendation is for no further reduction in the 140,000-strong U.S. contingent in Iraq this year, and for a small reduction of between 3,000 and 5,000 troops in January, just before President Bush leaves office.
不愿意透露姓名的官员告诉记者说，这两个人建议今年不再减少美国在伊拉克驻扎的14万人的部队。在明年1月布什总统离任前，撤出3000到5000人的部队。
White House Press Secretary Dana Perino hinted at the go-slow approach on Friday, saying the president does not want to do anything that could reverse the security gains made in Iraq during the past year.
白宫发言人佩里诺星期五暗示白宫会放缓撤军步伐。她说，总统不希望采取任何可能让美军去年在伊拉克安全方面取得的进展发生逆转的措施。
"The question in the president's mind has been, 'How do we make sure that we cement those gains and not jeopardize those gains?' and be able to continue the process of 'Return on Success.' He's obviously talking to his national security team and he'll be consulting with members of congress before we move forward," she said.
她说：“布什总统头脑中一直在想，‘我们如何确保巩固已经取得的进展，不危及到那些进展？’以及如何能够继续推进‘胜利凯旋’的进程。他显然正在与国家安全顾问们进行磋商。在采取任何行动之前，他将和国会议员磋商。”
American officials have long said they would like to increase the U.S. and international troop presence in Afghanistan, but that the United States does not have many troops to send as long as its commitment in Iraq remains high. So President Bush's expected announcement may not be good news for the U.S. commander in eastern Afghanistan, Major General Jeffrey Schloesser, who spoke to reporters at the Pentagon Friday via satellite.
美国官员很久以来一直表示希望增加在阿富汗的美国和国际部队。但是只要美国在伊拉克的驻军人数居高不下，美国就没有许多部队可以派到阿富汗去。因此，布什总统宣布的计划对驻扎在阿富汗东部的美军指挥官施勒塞尔少将来说可能不会是好消息。他星期五通过视频对在五角大楼的记者说：
"I'm going to ask for more troops," said General Schloesser. "I think it's pretty commonly known that I already have. And I'm optimistic that we'll potentially see them in the coming months."
“我打算要求增派部队。我想，相当多的人已经知道我已经这样要求过了。今后几个月，我们可能会看到增援部队的到来，我对此感到乐观。”
Officials have said commanders in Afghanistan want 10,000 more troops, but General Schloesser says he may only get a couple of thousand, at least in his area. But the general says it is not an emergency, in spite of the increase of insurgent attacks. He says allied forces are not losing in eastern Afghanistan, but they are not winning as quickly as he would like.
有关官员说，在阿富汗的美军指挥官希望增派1万人的部队，但是施勒塞尔少将说，他可能只会得到2、3千人的增援部队，至少在他驻防的地区会是这种情况。不过施勒塞尔少将表示，尽管暴乱袭击增加，但是现在并不是很紧急。他说，阿富汗东部地区的联军部队并没有败退，不过，他们也没有像他所希望的那样迅速取得胜利。
"It's a slow win," he said. "I want to make it into a solid, strong win. It's going to take time no matter what. But I'd like to do it in a more robust way."
U.S. officials have called the Afghanistan war an "economy of force" operation, because not enough troops have been available to send. General Schloesser says that needs to change.
The general says U.S., NATO and Afghan forces face a complex group of between seven and 11,000 insurgents, who, he says, have increased their attacks in his sector by 20 to 30 percent this year and are trying to develop what he called "spectacular" attacks. He plans a winter offensive to try to prevent the insurgents from bringing in supplies to prepare for next spring's fighting season, and also an increase in development assistance for local Afghan communities. |