Battling IS, Kurdish Fighters Court Russia And US to Forge New Future

LONDON — 

Kurdish commanders in northern Syria said this week Russia is building a military base there, and will help train its fighters. Moscow disputed the claims, but analysts¹ say it is a sign of the Kurds’ growing role in the region.

Across the border, Iraq faces a potential watershed³ moment as the battle for Mosul nears its end, with speculation⁴ growing that Kurds in the autonomous⁵ north could make a renewed push for independence.

Despite the claims by Kurdish YPG fighters, Moscow denied it has plans to open any new bases. But Russia remains⁶ the game-changer, analyst² Zeynep Kaya, of LSE Middle East Center, said.

“They can talk to the Kurds, they can talk to Assad, they can broker⁷ deals," Kaya said.

US support

The United States is also backing Kurdish YPG forces battling Islamic State further east.

The Kurds’ ability to secure support from Washington and Moscow leaves Turkey looking increasingly isolated⁸. Ankara views the YPG as a terror group allied⁹ to the PKK, which has been fighting a decades-long insurgency¹⁰ in Turkey.

The head of the U.S. Central Command was questioned about that at a recent Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington.

U.S. Senator John McCain said, "I think there's a possibility of an impending¹¹ conflict between Turkey and the Kurds as opposed to us all working together to try to defeat ISIS and remove them from Raqqa. Do you see that as a scenario¹² that we should be concerned about?”

General Joseph Votel, head of U.S. Central Command, answered, "I do. I do, Mr. Chairman, and to that end we are trying to take actions to prevent that from occurring.”

Kurdish fighters are also playing a central role alongside Iraqi government forces and Shi'ite militias¹³ in the battle to retake Mosul from Islamic State.

Kaya, of the LSE Middle East Center, said, “Multiple parties are going to be there and will take part in the liberation of the area, so they will want to claim some stake in shaping the future of the region. And then we will see the political battle.”

Potential conflicts

The Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq has already warned of potential future conflicts.

Lahur Talabany, a Kurdistan counterterror official, said, "We could clash with the (Shi'ite) militias in the future if there is no dialogue with Baghdad. Shi'ite militias, so, we need to be really careful.”

Speculation is mounting that the Kurds in Iraq will make a renewed push for independence.

“It is not entirely¹⁴ clear whether they are really pushing for real independence or if this is just to mobilize Kurdish nationalist sentiments around a really malfunctioning¹⁵ administration," Kamran Matin of the University of Sussex said.

Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump¹⁶ hosted the Iraqi Prime Minister in Washington.

Analysts say the United States is likely to view any Kurdish push for independence from Iraq as adding to the chaos¹⁷, in a region torn apart by conflict.

1 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

2 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

3 watershed   

n.转折点，分水岭，分界线

参考例句：

• Our marriage was at a watershed.我们的婚姻到了一个转折关头。
• It forms the watershed between the two rivers.它成了两条河流的分水岭。

4 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

5 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

6 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。

7 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

8 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

9 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

10 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

11 impending   

a.imminent, about to come or happen

参考例句：

• Against a background of impending famine, heavy fighting took place. 即将发生饥荒之时，严重的战乱爆发了。
• The king convoke parliament to cope with the impending danger. 国王召开国会以应付迫近眉睫的危险。

12 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

13 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

14 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

15 malfunctioning   

出故障

参考例句：

• But something was malfunctioning in the equipment due to human error. 但由于人为的错误，设备发生故障了。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• Choke coils are useful for prevention of malfunctioning electronic equipment. 扼流圈对于防止电器设备的故障很有帮助。 来自互联网

16 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

17 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。