VOA常速英语:Attacking ISIS in Syria(翻译)

ISIS has lost about 78 percent of the territory it once held in Iraq, and its Iraqi capital of Mosul was liberated on July 10.Now, its false Syrian caliphate, Raqqa, is being liberated.Already, about 58 percent of the city has been cleared.Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS Brett McGurk explained at a recent press conference:
伊斯兰国已失去曾在伊拉克占领的约百分之七十八的领土，其在伊拉克的首都摩苏尔于7月10日获得解放。现在，它在叙利亚的伪哈里发帝国拉卡正在被解放。拉卡约百分之五十八的领土已获得解放。打击伊斯兰国全球联盟总统特使布雷特·麦格克在最近召开的记者招待会上称：

“About six months ago, ISIS was planning major attacks in Raqqa. They were planning major attacks against the United States, against our partners,and they were doing it in Raqqa using infrastructure of a major city.Today in Raqqa, ISIS is fighting for every last block, and trying to defend blocks that they are about to lose.They are fighting for their own survival. It is a fundamentally transformed situation.”
“约6个月前，伊斯兰国在拉卡计划主要袭击。他们计划了针对美国和美国伙伴的主要袭击，他们正是利用拉卡的基础设施进行计划的。今天在拉卡，伊斯兰国为每个街区战斗，并试图守住他们就要失去的街区。他们正在为自己的生存而战。局势发生了根本转变。”

The campaign to seize Raqqa began on June 6, but it was made possible by an operation that came a few months before.
夺取拉卡的斗争开始于6月6日，但斗争胜利的可能性还要归功于几个月前的一次行动。

“In Syria, when it comes to the campaign against ISIS, we are working primarily with the Syrian Democratic Forces.That’s a force of about 50,000—it’s about half Arab, half Kurd. They also have never lost a battle,” said Special Envoy McGurk. In March, local commanders, seeing an opportunity to surprise the terrorists in Tabqa, dropped behind enemy lines with assistance from the Counter ISIS coalition, and seized the town, its dam and airfield.
“在叙利亚，谈到打击伊斯兰国的行动，我们主要是与叙利亚民主力量并肩作战。这是一支约有5000人的部队——约一半是阿拉伯人、一半库尔德人。他们从未打过一场败仗，”特使麦格克说。3月，当地指挥官看到了突袭塔卜卡恐怖分子的机会，在打击伊斯兰国联盟的帮助下来到敌人后方，夺取了塔卜卡、大坝和飞机场。

“This was very important to close the noose on ISIS,because ISIS was using this area to get personnel and equipment in and out of Raqqa.” Said Special Envoy McGurk.“We saw a lot of [ISIS] fighters trying to flee and their defenses in Raqqa begin to degrade a little bit.So it was a really critical operation, and it was done because authority’s been delegated down to seize opportunities like that.It was a really important moment in this overall campaign.”
“这对于扼住伊斯兰国咽喉而言非常重要，因为伊斯兰国曾利用该地区在拉卡市内外获取人员和装备。”特使麦格克说。“我们看到很多伊斯兰国士兵试图逃离，他们对拉卡的防御开始有所下降。因此这是一次关键行动，权利的下放使我们能抓住这样的机会采取行动。这是整个作战过程中的重要一步。”

“It’s ongoing. This will take time,” said Special Envoy McGurk. “This will be a very difficult battle.”
“战争还在继续，还将需要时间，”特使麦格克说。“这将是一次非常困难的战斗。”

And just like Mosul, Raqqa will be liberated.
就像摩苏尔一样，拉卡也将被解放。