聯軍作戰部隊年底前撤出阿富汗
The commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan, U.S. Marine Corps General John Allen, says the plan for a transition to full Afghan security control is intact after the announcement that American troops will largely end their combat duties next year, rather than the following year as had been widely expected.
駐紮在阿富汗的聯軍負責人、美國海軍陸戰隊將軍約翰·艾倫表示，美國方面將於明年、而不是之前很多人以爲的2014年，從阿富汗撤出作戰部隊。艾倫同時表示，將阿富汗的安全局勢的控制權移交給阿富汗方面的設想，仍然按計劃進行。
General Allen took command of international forces in Afghanistan last July. Since then, his mission has been to put himself out of a job - to train Afghan troops to take over, against a weakened Taliban, by the end of 2014.
艾倫將軍是從去年7月份開始掌管駐紮在阿富汗的國際武裝部隊的。從那時以來，他的任務就是要在2014年年底前，儘可能地削弱塔利班的勢力，培訓阿富汗當地的武裝部隊，讓他們能夠順利地將阿富汗的安全工作接管過去。
“It is a difficult job,” he says. “The Taliban continues to carry out spectacular attacks, and most Afghan troops start with a will to fight, but few professional soldiering skills.”
不過，艾倫上將的任務不是容易做到的。塔利班目前還在繼續展開各種各樣的襲擊事件，而絕大多數阿富汗政府軍成員雖然願意當兵打仗，但是在作戰技術方面，相對比較差。
Then last week, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said he hopes U.S. troops will be able to end their combat mission by late 2013, more than a year ahead of the final handover agreed to at the NATO summit in Lisbon in 2010. The announcement surprised some foreign officials and other experts, but General Allen says that was always part of the plan.
上個星期，美國國防部長里昂·帕內塔表示，希望美國派駐阿富汗的武裝部隊能夠在2013年下半年，結束在阿富汗的作戰使命。之前，北約在2010年於葡萄牙首都里斯本舉行的首腦會議上，將從阿富汗撤軍的日期定於2014年。帕內塔日前講話中提到的日程，比里斯本峯會期間提到的日期，整整早了一年；一些外國官員和關注阿富汗局勢的專家都對此感到一定程度的震驚。不過，艾倫上將說，在2013年底以前從阿富汗撤出全部作戰部隊，一直是撤軍計劃內容的一部分。
“That has been the plan all along. It has not accelerated the Lisbon-based timeline. We will continue to serve right alongside, support the ANSF (Afghan National Security Forces) through the remainder of '13, across all of '14, right to the end of '14, which was the roadmap out of Lisbon.”
他說：“一直是這麼計劃的；我們並沒有加快里斯本協議實施的步伐；2013年全年、直到2014年底，我們都會繼續和阿富汗武裝部隊一道作戰、給予他們相關的支援，而這正是里斯本協議所說的。”Still, General Allen says while Afghan forces are to be in the lead throughout the country starting in the middle of next year, foreign troops should expect to do some fighting.
艾倫上將說，從明年、也就是2013年中期開始，阿富汗部隊將要在阿富汗各地的行動中，起主導作用。來自國際間的武裝力量將會參與某些戰鬥。
“We will never be in a situation where there is no combat or no likelihood of combat. The enemy gets a vote here. This has been a virulent insurgency. We should fully expect, as advisers always have been, that advisers when they are supporting combat forces are going to be exposed to combat.”
艾倫上將說：“我們從來也不會陷在一種不可能發生戰事、或是不大會發生戰事的局面中。敵對一方，他們也很厲害；作爲阿富汗當地武裝部隊的指導員，我們從來都要有面對面實戰的準備。”
So the general does not expect the Taliban to give up easily. But he also rejects the findings of a secret U.S. military report leaked to the British media last week. The report says captured Taliban fighters claim their organization is stronger than Western officials say it is.
艾倫上將不認爲塔利班會那麼容易地放下武器。不過，他在接受美國之音採訪的同時指出，他並不同意有關上個星期美國方面某些人士將美國軍方一份報告的內容向英國一家媒體透露的信息。據悉，透露給英國媒體的那份報告的內容，包含有這樣的信息；那就是：被抓獲的塔利班成員表示，塔利班實際上要比西方官員所描述的強大得多。
“The Taliban who are in our custody might be very interested in portraying for us that they're willing to wait until after 2014. But frankly, that's a bankrupt narrative because there's going to be an international force of some form or another aiding the ANSF long after 2014.”
艾倫上將在回答這方面的問題時說：“那些在我方掌握下的塔利班成員，可能很願意把情況描述成他們有耐心等到2014年我方全部撤軍之後，再度捲土重來。但是坦率地說，他們那種說法已經不成立了，因爲2014年以後，來自國際間的武裝勢力，將繼續通過某種形式、或者說是方式，協助阿富汗本土的安全部隊。”
Foreign help for the Afghans after 2014 will largely involve money and training for its civilian government and security forces.
2014年以後，境外對阿富汗的援助將主要是以捐款和培訓阿富汗政府部門的文職官員以及軍隊爲主。
But General Allen and other security experts say some sort of small but capable foreign force will also be needed.
與此同時，艾倫將軍以及其他一些安全領域的專家都表示，阿富汗到時也還需要一隻規模不大、但是非常精幹的外國武裝部隊。
