联军作战部队年底前撤出阿富汗
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.
驻扎在阿富汗的联军负责人、美国海军陆战队将军约翰·艾伦表示，美国方面将于明年、而不是之前很多人以为的2014年，从阿富汗撤出作战部队。艾伦同时表示，将阿富汗的安全局势的控制权移交给阿富汗方面的设想，仍然按计划进行。
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.
艾伦将军是从去年7月份开始掌管驻扎在阿富汗的国际武装部队的。从那时以来，他的任务就是要在2014年年底前，尽可能地削弱塔利班的势力，培训阿富汗当地的武装部队，让他们能够顺利地将阿富汗的安全工作接管过去。
“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.”
不过，艾伦上将的任务不是容易做到的。塔利班目前还在继续展开各种各样的袭击事件，而绝大多数阿富汗政府军成员虽然愿意当兵打仗，但是在作战技术方面，相对比较差。
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.
上个星期，美国国防部长里昂·帕内塔表示，希望美国派驻阿富汗的武装部队能够在2013年下半年，结束在阿富汗的作战使命。之前，北约在2010年于葡萄牙首都里斯本举行的首脑会议上，将从阿富汗撤军的日期定于2014年。帕内塔日前讲话中提到的日程，比里斯本峰会期间提到的日期，整整早了一年；一些外国官员和关注阿富汗局势的专家都对此感到一定程度的震惊。不过，艾伦上将说，在2013年底以前从阿富汗撤出全部作战部队，一直是撤军计划内容的一部分。
“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.”
他说：“一直是这么计划的；我们并没有加快里斯本协议实施的步伐；2013年全年、直到2014年底，我们都会继续和阿富汗武装部队一道作战、给予他们相关的支援，而这正是里斯本协议所说的。”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.
艾伦上将说，从明年、也就是2013年中期开始，阿富汗部队将要在阿富汗各地的行动中，起主导作用。来自国际间的武装力量将会参与某些战斗。
“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.”
艾伦上将说：“我们从来也不会陷在一种不可能发生战事、或是不大会发生战事的局面中。敌对一方，他们也很厉害；作为阿富汗当地武装部队的指导员，我们从来都要有面对面实战的准备。”
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.
艾伦上将不认为塔利班会那么容易地放下武器。不过，他在接受美国之音采访的同时指出，他并不同意有关上个星期美国方面某些人士将美国军方一份报告的内容向英国一家媒体透露的信息。据悉，透露给英国媒体的那份报告的内容，包含有这样的信息；那就是：被抓获的塔利班成员表示，塔利班实际上要比西方官员所描述的强大得多。
“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.”
艾伦上将在回答这方面的问题时说：“那些在我方掌握下的塔利班成员，可能很愿意把情况描述成他们有耐心等到2014年我方全部撤军之后，再度卷土重来。但是坦率地说，他们那种说法已经不成立了，因为2014年以后，来自国际间的武装势力，将继续通过某种形式、或者说是方式，协助阿富汗本土的安全部队。”
Foreign help for the Afghans after 2014 will largely involve money and training for its civilian government and security forces.
2014年以后，境外对阿富汗的援助将主要是以捐款和培训阿富汗政府部门的文职官员以及军队为主。
But General Allen and other security experts say some sort of small but capable foreign force will also be needed.
与此同时，艾伦将军以及其他一些安全领域的专家都表示，阿富汗到时也还需要一只规模不大、但是非常精干的外国武装部队。
