美防长访问伊拉克，誓言击溃伊斯兰国

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Tuesday Islamic State's "days are numbered," while cautioning that defeating the militant group is not imminent.

Mattis spoke to reporters before flying to Baghdad for an unannounced visit, where he met with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

The two discussed security cooperation and U.S. support for Iraqi security forces, Abadi said in a tweet. The Pentagon chief says stabilizing Iraq is "not going to happen overnight." "It's going to be a heavy lift for them going forward," Mattis noted.

U.S. forces have been leading a coalition of countries conducting airstrikes and other military operations in support of Iraq's military since August 2014, a few months after Islamic State fighters swept through large areas of northern and western Iraq. The Iraqi troops scored a major victory in July by recapturing control of Mosul, the nation's second largest city.

On Sunday, Iraq's military launched an offensive to take back Tal Afar, an area about 60 kilometers west of Mosul.

The U.S. coalition is also supporting efforts to expel Islamic State from areas it controls in neighboring Syria, including its de facto capital in the city of Raqqa.美国国防部长马蒂斯周二表示，伊斯兰国组织“天数已尽”，同时警告说，还不能立即打败这个激进组织。

马蒂斯在飞往巴格达进行事先未宣布的访问前对记者做出以上表示。他在巴格达会见了伊拉克总理阿巴迪。

阿巴迪在推特上发文说，两人讨论了安全合作和美国对伊拉克安全部队的支持。美国防长表示伊拉克的稳定“不会一夜间实现”。马蒂斯说“对他们来说将是艰难的前行。”

自2014年8月以来，美军一直领导着由几个国家组成的联盟进行的空袭和其他军事行动，对伊拉克军队提供支持。之前伊斯兰国武装扫荡了伊拉克北部和西部大片地区。伊拉克部队七月份取得一项重大胜利，收复了伊拉克第二大城市摩苏尔。

星期天，伊拉克军方为收复摩苏尔以西约60公里的泰勒阿费尔发动了攻势。

美国领导的联盟也在支持将伊斯兰国从在伊拉克邻国叙利亚控制的地区赶走的努力。伊斯兰国实际上的首都拉卡就在那里。