美国国防部长：将向伊拉克派遣更多的军队

AS IT IS 2016-07-12 US Defense¹ Secretary: More Troops to Go to Iraq 美国国防部长：将向伊拉克派遣更多的军队

The United States will deploy² 560 more troops to Iraq to help prepare for the fight for Mosul. The Islamic State militant³ group currently holds the city. However, Iraqi forces recently recaptured an airbase nearby.

The additional troops will go to that airbase, says American Defense Secretary Ash Carter. He made the deployment⁴ announcement during a visit to Baghdad Monday.

The Qayyarah Airbase West is about 60 kilometers south of Mosul. Carter said it will serve as a planning and flight center for the coalition⁵.

A top U.S. defense official said the Iraqi government capture of the airbase marks the completion of the coalition’s first 10 steps toward defeating the Islamic State. The official spoke⁶ on the condition that his identity would not be reported.

Ash Carter is meeting in Baghdad with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi. Carter will speak by phone with Masoud Barzani, the president of Iraqi Kurdistan.

What were the 10 steps?

In December and January, President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Carter set 10 goals to meet before two important cities could be captured. One was Raqqah in Syria, which served as Islamic State’s capital. The other was Mosul, the terrorist group’s largest base in Iraq.

The recapturing of Hit, Rupta and Ramadi in Iraq were key steps toward dividing the Iraq and Syria battlefields, said one top defense official. Establishing a staging base in Makhmour has been considered a critical step in surrounding Mosul.

In Syria, control of Shaddadi was also critical. The town is along the road from Raqqah to Mosul. Ash Carter said control of Shaddadi left Islamic State core “severed in half.” He said it interfered⁷ with the movement of people and supplies between the two cities.

U.S.-trained opposition⁸ forces took the northern Syrian city of Manbij, also one of the 10 steps. Last month a coalition spokesman based in Baghdad described Manbij as a “hub” for Islamic State foreign fighters.

Another of the 10 steps was the start of a program to train and supply anti-IS forces within northeast Syria, said a second defense official.

Mosul fight shaping up

The plan to take Mosul in the south required the capture of Makhmour to the southeast and Qayyarah airbase to the southwest. A small number of U.S. forces have carried out a brief site examination at the airbase. But, they did not remain there.

Officials say the recapture of Qayyarah showed the increasing military sophistication of Iraqi forces.

At the same time, two Iraqi Kurd military teams are completing the encirclement of Mosul from the north. The U.S. provided equipment and some money to the teams.

During Defense Secretary Carter’s last trip to Iraq, he announced that the U.S. will provide $415 million in financial aid to Kurdish forces. The Kurdish economy had been damaged by the worldwide drop in oil prices. Carter said the aid would go through Iraq’s government.

A top defense official confirmed the U.S. has completed its early goal of training 12 military brigades for the Mosul offensive. Commanders say that is the number needed for the battle.

US looking to do more

U.S. officials say additional training might be needed for those groups. In the fight for Ramadi, for example, many improvised⁹ explosive devices or IEDs were being used against anti-IS fighters. U.S. forces specially¹⁰ trained soldiers how to deal with IED threats.

Police training also might be needed to help secure the city once Islamic State has been ousted¹¹.

Carter said he will talk with Abadi about many tools and techniques that have proven effective against the enemy. These include air support, equipment, supplies and help with planning.

He said the U.S. will “provide more if and when the Iraqi Security Forces can make good use of them, and Prime Minister Abadi requests them.”

Last week, President Obama announced his decision to keep 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan through the end of his presidency¹². The Obama administration had earlier announced it would keep only 5,500 troops through the end of the year. Obama said last week that “the Taliban remains¹³ a threat.”

Words in This Story

staging - n. temporary area

severe - v. to separate, cut or remove

sophistication - n. showing experience, highly developed

improvised explosive device - n. bomb built in ways other than conventional military, usually used as roadside bomb.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

3 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

4 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

5 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 interfered   

v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉

参考例句：

• Complete absorption in sports interfered with his studies. 专注于运动妨碍了他的学业。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I am not going to be interfered with. 我不想别人干扰我的事情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

9 improvised   

a.即席而作的,即兴的

参考例句：

• He improvised a song about the football team's victory. 他即席创作了一首足球队胜利之歌。
• We improvised a tent out of two blankets and some long poles. 我们用两条毛毯和几根长竿搭成一个临时帐蓬。

10 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

11 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

12 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

13 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。