VOA常速英语2016--美国帮助伊拉克清除两伊战争残余炸弹（在线收听）

美国帮助伊拉克清除两伊战争残余炸弹

As Iraqi armed forces and their Global Coalition allies continue to uproot ISIL from the territoryit once occupied, the scope of the devastation in Iraq is becoming more clear. Since 2014,over 3.3 million people have been displaced throughout Iraq, while some 10 million are in direneed of lifesaving humanitarian assistance. In late July, the United States, Canada, theNetherlands, Germany and Japan co-hosted a Pledging Conference in Support of Iraq thatraised over 2 billion dollars in new funds. The money will be used for humanitarian aid, and tostabilize the liberated territories and make them habitable again. Some of the pledged moneywill be used to clear land mines and unexploded ordnance to help achieve this goal. Going backto at least the Iran-Iraq conflict that began in 1980, successive warring parties have laid downmines and contaminated the country with unexploded bombs and other live war materiel. “Communities across Iraq face danger from an estimated 10 to 15 million landmines and piecesof unexploded ordnance,” writes in a recent blog post Major General Michael Rothstein, whoserves as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Plans, Programs, and Operations in theBureau of Political-Military Affairs. On top of these existing hazards, Iraqis now have to contendwith the threat of improvised explosive devices created by ISIL. Since 2003, the UnitedStates has invested more than 300 million dollars toward the clearance and safe disposal ofexplosives and weapons in Iraq. In 2015 alone, the U.S. Conventional Weapons DestructionProgram helped to clear more than 65 million square meters of land. “The July 20 PledgingConference raised more than 2 billion dollars to address the challenges faced by the Iraqipeople and to ensure the lasting defeat of ISIL in Iraq,” said Deputy Assistant SecretaryRothstein. The United States made a substantial pledge during the conference, and we lookto other nations to join us in this effort. Together, we can work to ensure that all Iraqis can livefree from the devastation caused by the explosive remnants of war.

随着伊拉克武装力量及其全球联盟从伊拉克领土清除伊斯兰国行动的不断推进，伊斯兰的受破坏范围愈发明显。自2014年以来，伊拉克全境有330多万人民流离失所，还有近1千万人迫切需要人道主义援助。7月末，美国、加拿大、荷兰、德国、日本共同召开了认捐会议，为伊拉克募集到20多亿美元。这笔钱会用于人道主义援助，平稳解放地区，使这些地区再次成为人们的家园。这笔资金中有一部分会用于清理地雷和未爆炸武器，以助力这一目标的实现。仅是1980年开始的两伊战争，所有参战国就在伊拉克买下了地雷、未爆炸武器和其他战争武器。

曾任政治军事事务局计划、项目和执行部的副助理国务卿迈克尔最近发博文称，“伊拉克目前深陷危险，有1000-1500万地雷和未爆炸武器”。除了这些已有危机外，伊拉克还必须要应对伊斯兰国埋下的爆炸装置。自2003年以来，为清理和妥善处理伊拉克的爆炸物和武器，美国已投资3亿多美元。仅2015年一年，美国常规武器破坏计划就帮助伊拉克清楚了6500多万平米国土上的爆炸物。迈克尔表示，“7月20日的认捐会议共募得20多亿美元，以解决伊拉克人民所面临的挑战，并确保伊拉克可以继续战胜伊斯兰国”。美国在会上作出实质性承诺，期待更多国家加入我们的队伍中来。我们一起协力，确保所有伊拉克人民可以自由生活，免受战争残留物的侵扰。