Alfred WANG 編譯


美國：伊拉克考驗才剛開始


美國總統歐巴馬表示，美軍已如期撤出伊拉克的城鎮區域，但眼前的考驗(difficult days)才剛開始。

週二美方與伊拉克舉行交接典禮，歐巴馬總統視此舉為重要的里程碑，但他也表示，伊國高層在政治與維安方面，都將面臨困難的抉擇。

伊國民眾歡慶美軍撤離的同時，北方的城市基爾庫克(Kirkuk)爆發一起汽車炸彈攻擊事件，造成二十七人死亡。

過去兩週以來，約有二百五十人死於一波波的攻擊事件，因此美伊兩國部隊在撤軍期間提高警覺，嚴防攻擊事件發生。

伊國為交接的那天訂立國定假日，起名為國家主權紀念日(National Sovereignty Day)，那時歐巴馬總統認為，伊國人民已掌握自己的未來，自然為此歡欣鼓舞，而未來是屬於建立一切的人，而不是毀滅一切的人。

歐巴馬總統預期未來會有更多的暴力行為，基爾庫克城發生「無知的爆炸案(senseless bombing)」就是一個例子。

這起爆炸案發生前十天，還傳出一起卡車爆炸案，至少七十人死亡，為過去一年來該城最嚴重的死亡事件。

歐巴馬總統表示，眼前會有許多艱困的日子，這是毫無疑問的。他也提到，有心人士會透過更偏激的炸彈攻擊還有殺害無辜民眾的手段，來考驗伊國的維安力量和人民的決議。

「我自信這些有些人士將會嘗到敗果，」歐巴馬總統表示，「他們企圖將伊拉克拉入分裂和內戰的深淵，而今天的交接儀式會加以證明，他們站在歷史錯誤的一方。」


殘暴的一月

基爾庫克城距巴格達約250公里，上個月在那裡爆發了兩起自殺炸彈攻擊，造成十四人死亡。

該城為北伊石油工業中心，且當地居民有庫德人、阿拉伯人、基督徒還有土庫曼社區(Turkmen community)的成員，衝突一觸即發。

過去兩週內，其餘的炸彈攻擊大多鎖定什葉派地區，總共造成約二百五十人死亡。

美軍雖撤出了城鎮，但日後仍會協助伊國軍警。

禮拜一的時候，有四名美國士兵在巴格達的戰鬥中喪生。

撤軍之前的兩年，即2007年二月至六月間，為美軍的增兵潮("surge" of extra troops)，使美軍在伊國的駐軍達到十七萬人。

由美方主導的作戰行動到2010年九月截止，並在2011年底全數撤出伊國。

美軍目前有近十三萬一千名士兵留在伊國，包含十二個作戰旅；在伊國一月大選結束之前，總兵力預計不低於十二萬八千人。


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以下是原文:


US warns Iraq of 'difficult days'


US President Barack Obama says US troops have withdrawn from Iraq's towns and cities on schedule, but he warned of "difficult days" ahead.

Mr Obama described Tuesday's handover to Iraqis as a milestone, but said the country's leaders would face "hard choices" on politics and security.

As Iraqis celebrated the US withdrawal, a car bomb in the northern city of Kirkuk killed at least 27 people.

In the past two weeks about 250 people have been killed in a wave of attacks.

Iraqi and US troops have been on alert for attacks during the pullback.

As Iraq marked the handover with a public holiday called National Sovereignty Day, President Obama said: "Iraq's future is in the hands of its own people."

"The Iraqi people are rightly treating this as a cause for celebration.

"The future belongs to those who build, not to those who destroy."

Mr Obama predicted there would be more violence, like the "senseless bombing" in Kirkuk.

That came 10 days after a truck bomb killed more than 70 in the city's deadliest attack in over a year.

"Make no mistake, there will be difficult days ahead," he said.

He added: "There are those who will test Iraq's security forces and the resolve of the Iraqi people through more sectarian bombings and the murder of innocent civilians.

"I am confident that those forces will fail. Today's transition is further proof that those who have tried to pull Iraq into the abyss of disunion and civil war are on the wrong side of history."



Violent month　

Kirkuk, about 250km (155 miles) from Baghdad, was also the scene of two suicide bombings last month, in which 14 people were killed.

The city is the centre of northern Iraq's oil industry, and home to a volatile mix of Kurds, Arabs, Christians and members of the Turkmen community.

Most of the other bombs that have killed around 250 people in the past fortnight have been aimed at Shia areas.

Despite their pullback from cities and towns, US troops will still be embedded with Iraqi forces.

On Monday, four US soldiers were killed in combat in Baghdad.

The pullback comes two years after the US "surge" of extra troops between February and June 2007, which saw US troop levels in Iraq reach about 170,000.

US-led combat operations are due to end by September 2010, with all troops gone from Iraq by the end of 2011.

Some 131,000 US troops remain in Iraq, including 12 combat brigades, and the total is not expected to drop below 128,000 until after the Iraqi national election in January.