库尔德人为康巴恩守城者和美国空军欢呼

“WE WILL resist to our last drop of blood together… if necessary we will repeat the Stalingrad resistance in Kobane.” The words of Polat Can, a Syrian Kurdish commander, to describe the fight against Islamic State (IS) jihadists for the town on the Syrian-Turkish border may exaggerate the scale of the fighting, but makes plain the emotional and strategic symbolism now attached to Kobane.

“我们将战斗到底，直至流尽最后一滴血…如有必要，我们将在康巴恩进行斯大林格勒式的抵抗。”叙利亚库德人指挥官Polat Can的这番话，用来描述发生在叙土边境小城康巴恩抵抗伊斯兰国的战斗似有夸大战斗规模之嫌，但用来阐明康巴恩库尔德守城者目前的高昂情绪与作战策略则颇具象征意义。

On October 29th about 150 Iraqi Kurdish fighters, the Peshmerga, dispatched by cheering crowds in Irbil, set off through Turkey to reinforce their brother Kurds. The deployment was sanctioned by the Turkish authorities, after much haggling.

十月29日，约150名伊拉克库尔德战士（库尔德民兵组织“自由卫士”），从埃尔比勒市欢呼的人群中走出，经土耳其出发，前去支援他们在康巴恩奋战的兄弟们。这一部署在经过一番讨价还价之后终于为土耳其当局批准。

For the other parties to the battle—America and IS—the confrontation, now in its seventh week, has also acquired increasing importance. For IS, the expectation was of an easy victory that would have given it control over a large section of the border and the main road between its stronghold in Raqqa and Aleppo. But it has now become a test of the group’s military prowess. Winning Kobane would not just deal a crushing blow to Kurdish resistance in northern Syria, but would also send out a message of invincibility in the face of American air power.

对于康巴恩守卫战中的另两方——美国和伊斯兰国来说，这一已进入第七周的对抗正变得日益重要。伊斯兰国本指望能轻易获胜，并由此控制其在Raqqa和Aleppo据点之间的大片边界和主要道路。如今，康巴恩却考验着伊斯兰国的军事力量。对于伊斯兰国而言，取得康巴恩之战的胜利不仅可以予叙利亚北部康尔德抵抗军以重创，而且能创造一个面对美国空军不败的神话。

America, too, is increasingly committed to saving Kobane. A few weeks ago American officials were keen to downplay the importance of the city, seeing it as a distraction from the wider campaign against IS. Pentagon briefings were resolutely downbeat, suggesting that, despite air strikes, the town might fall to IS at any time. By October 13th IS controlled more than half the town. But in the days that followed the aerial bombardment on IS positions in and around the town both intensified and increased in their accuracy, thanks to direct co-operation with Kurdish fighters on the ground. By the 19th there were air-drops of weapons, ammunitions and medical supplies by C-130 transports. Some ground lost to IS was recovered.

与此同时，美国越发致力于保住康巴恩。几周前，美国官员倾向于对这个城市轻描淡写，认为这只是更大规模对伊斯兰国作战中的一个插曲。来自五角大楼的简讯无疑对康巴恩之战持悲观态度，暗示尽管有空袭相助，该城随时都可能落入敌手。到十月13日，伊斯兰国控制了该城一半以上面积。但随后，在库尔德战士的直接合作下，美国对伊斯兰国在康巴恩及其附近的目标增加了空袭强度、提高了空袭精确度。到十月19日，C-130运输机已开始向库尔德地面作战人员空投武器、弹药和医疗物资，部分失地被夺回。

What changed? Partly it was a perception that defeat in Kobane in front of television reporters massed on the Turkish side of the border would only stoke criticism of America’s handling of the campaign. Partly it was a recognition that the fighting qualities of Syrian Kurds could prove invaluable in the long war. And partly it was a realisation that Kobane could be turned into a meatgrinder for jihadists.

美国态度缘何改变？原因有三。一是美国担心，当着聚集在叙土边境土耳其这边的记者们的面丢掉康巴恩，只会引发对美国领导的反伊斯兰国运动作战策略的批评；二是美国认为，在这场长期战争中，叙利亚库尔德人的作战能力是不可估量的；三是美国意识到，康巴恩可以成为圣战分子的“凡尔登绞肉机”。

IS has been happy to accept the challenge. As well as pouring more men and equipment into the fight, on October 27th it distributed a bizarre five-minute video in which a British hostage, John Cantlie, appeared to dispatch a “news report” from Kobane. Its purpose was to refute the idea that the battle was swinging against IS. Dresssed in black, Mr Cantlie tells the camera that America and its allies “even with all their air power and all their proxy troops on the ground” cannot defeat IS.

伊斯兰国乐于接受这一挑战。在将更多的人员和装备投入康巴恩之战的同时，伊斯兰国于十月27日发布了一个时长五分钟的奇怪视频。视频中英国人质John Cantlie似在发表来自康巴恩的“新闻报道”。这样做的目的在于驳斥战局已对伊斯兰国不利的观点。一身黑衣的John Cantlie在镜头前称美国及其盟友即便动用所有空军和代理人军队力量也不能战胜伊斯兰国。

It is still not possible say who will prevail in Kobane. Kurdish defenders appear to be outnumbered but in street-to-street fighting the heavy weapons and vehicles that usually give IS its edge are of limited use. IS is up against a foe with nowhere to retreat, an improving supply of arms and continued air support. Kobane may not be Stalingrad, but if it holds out, the psychological damage to IS will be real.

康巴恩鹿死谁手尚难定夺。尽管库尔德人看似在人数上处于劣势，但常使伊斯兰国具有优势的重型武器和车辆在巷战中难伸拳脚。伊斯兰国面对的敌人背水一战，且其武器补给越来越多，空中支援持续不断。康巴恩也许不是斯大林格勒，但如果康巴恩能守住，那对伊斯兰国心理上的打击将是显著的。