US considering more military bases in Iraq

The United States is considering building more US military bases in Iraq to drive back Islamic State militants in a move that may require a further increase in American forces, the top US general said on Thursday.

周四，伊拉克美军最高指挥官称，美国正在考虑增加在伊军事基地以打击伊斯兰国武装分子，此举需要美国向伊拉克增派驻军。

A day after the White House announced the deployment of 450 more US troops to Iraq and a new training hub in Anbar province, Army General Martin Dempsey said the Pentagon was considering more sites in strategic areas such as the corridor from Baghdad to Tikrit and further north toward Mosul.

之前白宫宣布增派450名美军前往伊拉克，并在安巴尔省建立一个新的训练基地，一天之后，美国五星上将马丁·邓普西表示，五角大楼正在考虑在巴格达通往提克里特和北部摩苏尔省的走廊地带等战略区域建立更多基地。

Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, acknowledged these might require sending more US troops, which already numbered about 3,100 in Iraq before Wednesday’s announcement.

美国参谋长联席会议主席邓普西承认，这些可能需要派遣更多的美国部队，周三宣布之前在伊拉克的美国士兵已经达到3100名。

His spokesman said American forces could also be moved from within Iraq to avoid troop increases.

其发言人称，为避免增加部队，美军也可以从伊拉克别的地方调动。

US President Barack Obama has said the troops would not engage in combat in Iraq, where the Pentagon has relied heavily on an air campaign that US officials say has killed thousands of Islamic State fighters and eroded their capability.

美国总统巴拉克·奥巴马称，美军不会参与到伊拉克的战事中。用美国官员的话称，美国防部完全依靠空袭消灭上千名伊斯兰国武装分子，削弱了他们的战斗力。

While the 3,100 US forces in Iraq are a far cry from the peak of about 170,000 under President George W. Bush, the newly announced operations mark the first significant adjustment in Obama’s Iraqi strategy in months and follow gains by Islamic State insurgents who control a third each of Iraq and Syria.

虽然当前在伊拉克的3100名美军相比布什总统时期的17万人大幅减少，但奥巴马刚宣布的举动却标志着其对伊政策在未来几个月将首次发生重大变化，很大原因是伊斯兰国武装分子已经控制了伊拉克和叙利亚三分之一的国土。

White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters there were "no immediate or specific plans" to add new bases in Iraq.

白宫发言人乔希·厄尼思特告诉记者，目前对于在伊拉克增加军事基地“没有详细可执行的计划”。

Dempsey also renewed the possibility of deploying US spotters alongside Iraqi forces to call in air strikes during a future offensive, but added, "we’re just not there yet."

邓普西也重申在伊拉克部队部署观察员的可能性，以便在未来的战事中呼叫空中支援，但同时称，“目前还没有部署”。

The possible future training sites, such as the hub at the Taqaddum military base about 15 miles (25 km) from Ramadi, were "just part of prudent planning," he said.

他介绍，未来有可能部署的训练场地，像距离拉马迪市15英里（25千米）的塔卡杜姆军事基中的训练中心，只是“谨慎计划的一部分”。

Dempsey did not see another such site in Anbar province soon.

邓普西称安巴尔省将很快拥有这样一个军事基地。

"But I could conceive of one potentially somewhere in the corridor that runs from Baghdad to Tikrit to Kirkuk and over into Mosul. So we’re looking at that area," Dempsey said.

邓普西说：“但我想在从巴格达到提克里特、基尔库克和摩苏尔之间走廊上合适的位置建立军事基地，我们在关注这一区域。”

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来源:英语新闻网站爱语吧作者:孙梦光