Afghanistan 2018: Deadly Attacks, Elections, Talks with Taliban
阿富汗2018: 致命襲擊、選舉以及與塔利班和談
A year of unrest in Afghanistan is ending with new hope that a reconciliation process with the Taliban may be possible.
阿富汗動蕩的一年在即將結(jié)束時迎來了新的希望,阿富汗跟塔利班的和解進(jìn)程可能會實(shí)現(xiàn)。
The war Afghanistan began with the American invasion in 2001. It is the longest conflict in American history.
戰(zhàn)爭狀態(tài)的阿富汗始于2001年米國入侵,這是美國歷史上最長的沖突。
In September, long-time American diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad was appointed to negotiate an end to the war. He formerly served as the United States ambassador to both Afghanistan and Iraq.
今年9月,美國資深外交官扎爾邁·哈利勒扎德(Zalmay Khalilzad)被任命通過談判來結(jié)束這場戰(zhàn)爭。哈利勒扎德曾擔(dān)任過美國駐阿富汗和伊拉克大使。
Since his appointment, Khalilzad has made three trips to the area. He has spoken with representatives of the Taliban and Afghanistan's neighbors. Several developments led to these contacts. The most important of them was the United States agreeing to communicate directly with the Taliban.
自被任命以來,哈利勒扎德已經(jīng)三次前往該地區(qū)。他曾與塔利班以及阿富汗鄰國的代表進(jìn)行會談。一些事態(tài)發(fā)展導(dǎo)致了這些接觸,其中最重要的是美國同意與塔利班直接談判。
U.S. State Department official Alice Wells met with Taliban representatives in Qatar's capital, Doha, earlier this year.
今年早些時候,美國國務(wù)院官員愛麗絲·威爾斯(Alice Wells)在卡塔爾首都多哈會見了塔利班代表。
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had proposed peace talks to the Taliban several times in 2018. The first offer came in February, when he offered them a political office in Kabul. He also offered to cancel restrictions against Taliban leaders.
阿富汗總統(tǒng)阿什拉夫·加尼(Ashraf Ghani)在2018年多次向塔利班提出和談。第一次是在今年2月,當(dāng)時他向塔利班提供了一處位于喀布爾的政治辦公室。他還提出取消對塔利班領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人的限制。
Taliban forces ignored the offers, which they said did not meet their most important demand: a withdrawal of all foreign forces from the country. The group also accused the Afghan government of taking orders from the U.S.
塔利班部隊無視了這些提議,他們稱這些提議沒有滿足他們最重要的要求,即所有外國軍隊撤離該國。該組織還指責(zé)阿富汗政府接受美國的指令。
The biggest news of the year from Afghanistan was the cease-fire during the Eid al-Fitr religious holiday in June. After 17 years of war, the two sides decided to halt fighting for three days to celebrate Eid.
今年阿富汗最大的新聞是6月開齋節(jié)期間的停火。經(jīng)過17年的戰(zhàn)爭,雙方?jīng)Q定?;?天以慶祝開齋節(jié)。
Images of militants and Afghan civilians spending time together flooded both traditional and social media. Taliban fighters were seen taking selfies, shaking hands and smiling at government security forces.
武裝分子和阿富汗平民共同慶祝的照片充斥著傳統(tǒng)媒體和社交媒體。照片上可以看到塔利班戰(zhàn)士自拍、揮手并對政府安全部隊報以微笑。
"Our leaders have ordered a three-day cease-fire," one Taliban fighter told the French news agency AFP. "We want a permanent cease-fire to resolve all our issues," he said.
一位塔利班武裝分子對法國的法新社表示:“我們的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人下令?;?天,我們希望能永久?;饋斫鉀Q所有問題。”
"We are all brothers," another one told VOA.
另一位塔利班武裝分子對美國之音表示:“我們是兄弟。”
While all this was happening, the level of violence remained high throughout the year. The Taliban continued to launch thousands of attacks, severely testing the ability of Afghan forces. An attack on the city of Ghazni lasted for days and caused hundreds of deaths.
雖然這一切發(fā)生了,但是全年的暴力程度仍然很高。塔利班繼續(xù)發(fā)動了數(shù)千次襲擊,嚴(yán)重考驗(yàn)了阿富汗部隊的能力。塔利班對加茲尼市的襲擊持續(xù)了數(shù)天,造成了數(shù)百人死亡。
The United Nations says Afghan civilians continued to die in record numbers in 2018. U.S. generals were reported as saying that the losses suffered by Afghan security force were unsustainable.
聯(lián)合國表示,2018年阿富汗平民死亡人數(shù)持續(xù)突破記錄。據(jù)報道,美國將領(lǐng)認(rèn)為阿富汗安全部隊的死傷已經(jīng)到了無以為繼的地步。
Twelve Americans died in action in Afghanistan in 2018. A U.S. military report showed that the Afghan government's control over territory dropped to the lowest level -- 55.5 percent.
2018年有12名美國人在行動中死亡。美國的一份軍事報告顯示,阿富汗政府對國土的控制率降至了55.5%的最低水平。
During the same period, the United States increased its troop numbers -- to 14,000 from fewer than 10,000 last year -- and airstrikes in support of Afghan troops. U.S. military reports say that the U.S. Air Force dropped a record number of bombs this year, at almost 6,000 by October.
在同一期間,美國的部隊人數(shù)從去年的1萬人增加到了今年了14000人,并加強(qiáng)了支持阿富汗部隊的空襲行動。美國軍方報告稱,今年美國空軍投下的炸彈創(chuàng)下了創(chuàng)紀(jì)錄的數(shù)字,截至10月投下了近6千枚炸彈。
Afghanistan held parliamentary elections in October. However, the results were damaged by political disputes between two groups: the country's Independent Election Commission and the Electoral Complaints Commission.
阿富汗于10月份舉行了議會選舉。然而,阿富汗國家獨(dú)立選舉委員會和選務(wù)申訴委員會這兩家組織之間的政治爭端損害了選舉結(jié)果。
In addition, another group, Islamic State, continued attacking targets in Nangarhar province and Kabul city throughout the year.
此外,伊斯蘭國組織全年繼續(xù)襲擊楠格哈爾省和喀布爾市的目標(biāo)。
2018 in Afghanistan is ending with a hope that the increased push by the United States and the willingness by the Taliban to negotiate may produce results next year. The negotiations are in still development right now, and a road map to some form of reconciliation has yet to take shape.
人們帶著對美國的進(jìn)一步推動以及塔利班的談判意愿可能會在明年產(chǎn)生結(jié)果的希望,即將迎來2018年的結(jié)束。談判目前仍處于發(fā)展階段,尚未形成某種形式的和解路線圖。
I'm Caty Weaver.
凱蒂·韋弗報道。
A year of unrest in Afghanistan is ending with new hope that a reconciliation process with the Taliban may be possible.
The war Afghanistan began with the American invasion in 2001. It is the longest conflict in American history.
In September, long-time American diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad was appointed to negotiate an end to the war. He formerly served as the United States ambassador to both Afghanistan and Iraq.
Since his appointment, Khalilzad has made three trips to the area. He has spoken with representatives of the Taliban and Afghanistan’s neighbors. Several developments led to these contacts. The most important of them was the United States agreeing to communicate directly with the Taliban.
U.S. State Department official Alice Wells met with Taliban representatives in Qatar’s capital, Doha, earlier this year.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had proposed peace talks to the Taliban several times in 2018. The first offer came in February, when he offered them a political office in Kabul. He also offered to cancel restrictions against Taliban leaders.
Taliban forces ignored the offers, which they said did not meet their most important demand: a withdrawal of all foreign forces from the country. The group also accused the Afghan government of taking orders from the U.S.
The biggest news of the year from Afghanistan was the cease-fire during the Eid al-Fitr religious holiday in June. After 17 years of war, the two sides decided to halt fighting for three days to celebrate Eid.
Images of militants and Afghan civilians spending time together flooded both traditional and social media. Taliban fighters were seen taking selfies, shaking hands and smiling at government security forces.
“Our leaders have ordered a three-day cease-fire,” one Taliban fighter told the French news agency AFP. “We want a permanent cease-fire to resolve all our issues,” he said.
“We are all brothers,” another one told VOA.
While all this was happening, the level of violence remained high throughout the year. The Taliban continued to launch thousands of attacks, severely testing the ability of Afghan forces. An attack on the city of Ghazni lasted for days and caused hundreds of deaths.
The United Nations says Afghan civilians continued to die in record numbers in 2018. U.S. generals were reported as saying that the losses suffered by Afghan security force were unsustainable.
Twelve Americans died in action in Afghanistan in 2018. A U.S. military report showed that the Afghan government’s control over territory dropped to the lowest level -- 55.5 percent.
During the same period, the United States increased its troop numbers -- to 14,000 from fewer than 10,000 last year -- and airstrikes in support of Afghan troops. U.S. military reports say that the U.S. Air Force dropped a record number of bombs this year, at almost 6,000 by October.
Afghanistan held parliamentary elections in October. However, the results were damaged by political disputes between two groups: the country’s Independent Election Commission and the Electoral Complaints Commission.
In addition, another group, Islamic State, continued attacking targets in Nangarhar province and Kabul city throughout the year.
2018 in Afghanistan is ending with a hope that the increased push by the United States and the willingness by the Taliban to negotiate may produce results next year. The negotiations are in still development right now, and a road map to some form of reconciliation has yet to take shape.
I'm Caty Weaver.
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Words in This Story
reconciliation – n. the act of causing two or more people (or groups) to become friendly again
unsustainable – adj. something that is easily damaged
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