Barack Obama is widely expected to announce next week that he favours sending more than 30,000 extra troops to Afghanistan, in a momentous decision for his presidency.

人们普遍预计，美国总统巴拉克•奥巴马(Barack Obama)将于下周宣布，他决定向阿富汗增兵逾3万人，这将是其总统任期内的一项重大决策。

At an appearance yesterday with Manmohan Singh, India's prime minister, Mr Obama said that after eight years in which the US did not have “either the resources or the strategy to get the job done, it is my intention to finish the job”.

在昨日与印度总理曼莫汉•辛格(Manmohan Singh)一起露面时，奥巴马表示，过去8年，美国“既没有资源也没有战略完成任务，现在我打算完成它”。

Officials say Mr Obama is due to announce his choice in a prime-time address to the nation on Tuesday, although they warn that the president has not yet made a formal decision and the timing could change.

官员们表示，奥巴马将于下周二在向全国发表的黄金时段讲话中宣布自己的决定，尽管他们警告称，奥巴马还未做出正式决定，时间安排可能会有变化。

US allies expect Mr Obama to approve between 30,000 and 35,000 extra troops – a total that may include non-US forces.

美国的盟国预计，奥巴马将同意增兵3万至3.5万人，这一总数可能包括非美国军队。

“There is likely to be an announcement next week, with congressional testimony to follow,” a US military official said.

一位美国军事官员表示：“奥巴马可能在下周宣布决定，随后将在国会作证。”

Such a decision would go most of the way to meeting the request for 40,000 troops by Gen Stanley McChrystal, the commander in the field, to add to the 68,000 US soldiers already deployed. But it would deeply disappoint many Democrats who oppose ramping up the eight-year war.

这一决定将在很大程度上满足美军驻阿富汗指挥官斯坦利•麦克斯托尔(Stanley McChrystal)将军增兵4万人的请求，但会让反对加大这场8年战争力度的许多民主党人深感失望。目前有6.8万美军部署在阿富汗。

The move would tie Mr Obama's fortunes to Afghanistan much as those of his predecessor, George W. Bush, were linked to Iraq. But, in the wake of a vigorous campaign by the US military for more troops and his own description of Afghanistan as “a war of necessity”, Mr Obama has little room for manoeuvre.

此举将让奥巴马的命运与阿富汗联系在一起，相当类似于其前任乔治•W•布什(George W. Bush)与伊拉克的联系。但由于美国军方强烈要求增兵，而奥巴马本人也将阿富汗战争形容为一场“必要战争”，他没有多少回旋余地。

The president has been criticised by his Republican opponents for delaying a decision on the troop increase.

奥巴马已经因推迟做出增兵决定，而受到共和党对手的批评。

译者/君悦