北约年在阿富汗保留一万两千军人

NATO says it will keep about 12,000 troops in Afghanistan for an extra year in 2016 to prevent the country from again becoming a safe haven for terrorists.

北约表示，明年、也就是2016年，将在阿富汗保留大约一万两千名驻军，以防止阿富汗再度成为恐怖分子的藏身之地。这等于是将北约之前的“撤军时间表”向后延长了一年。

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday the alliance will pledge "approximately 12,000 troops" as part of its Resolute Support Mission in the region. He said that figure is in line with the current NATO troop strength in Afghanistan.

北约秘书长斯托尔滕贝格星期二表示，北约组织将承诺“大约一万两千名官兵”，作为区域间“毅然援助使命”的一个组成部分。斯托尔滕贝格说，这个数字和北约目前驻扎在阿富汗的部队官兵的数目是相符的。

Stoltenberg announced the pledge after alliance foreign ministers endorsed the decision.

斯托尔滕贝格是在北约各国外长对这一计划表示赞同之后，对外正式宣布的。

The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001 after the September 11 terrorist attacks to fight the Taliban. NATO took over command of the operation in 2003, but the alliance ended combat operations in 2014, leaving the Resolute Support Mission in place.

美国和其盟国在2001年的时候，也就是911事件恐怖袭击之后，为了同塔利班作战，开始了阿富汗战事。在随后的2003年，北大西洋公约组织接管了美国和盟国在阿富汗的军事运作统筹。北约在阿富汗的军事作战使命于2014年正式宣告结束，但是还有部队官兵继续留在阿富汗，从事“毅然援助使命”。

Today, Taliban militants are still mounting attacks, while the Islamic State group is gaining a foothold in the country.

目前，塔利班武装团伙仍然在发动袭击，而极端组织“伊斯兰国”也在阿富汗境内力争扩充地盘。