In a Desperate Syrian City, a Test of Trump’s Policies

TABQA, Syria — The young man unburdened himself about the dark years of living under the Islamic State as a crowd of curious onlookers gathered in front of a weathered storefront in the town marketplace.

叙利亚塔布卡。一群好奇的旁观者聚在镇子市场中一家饱经战火洗礼的店铺门前，一名年轻男子敞开心扉，诉说这些年在伊斯兰国的黑暗生活。

The militants, said the man, a 22-year-old named Abdul Qadir Khalil, killed many residents, doled out precious jobs and severely limited travel to and from the city. “When they left, our situation was much better mentally,” Mr. Khalil said. “If things were fixed, our society would be better and we would come to our normal life.”

22岁的阿卜杜勒·卡迪尔·哈立勒说，那些好战分子杀了许多居民，分配少量宝贵的工作，严格限制居民进出城市。“他们离后时，我们心里好过多了，”哈立勒说：“如果恢复了秩序，我们的社会会更好，我们也能回归正常生活。”

He ticked off a list of the things Tabqa needs: electricity, water, fuel and a sizable bakery. Then, laughing about his new freedom to openly denounce the militants, he said, “If they ever come back, they will slaughter all of us.”

他列出一系列塔布卡需要的物品：电、水、燃料和一个大面包店。可以随心所欲地谴责好战分子，这倒让他自嘲起来。“如果好战分子回来了，会把我们全杀光。”

Life is slowly returning to the streets of Tabqa, a city of about 100,000, strategically positioned just 30 miles west of Raqqa, the capital of the self-proclaimed caliphate of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS. Women are well represented on the town’s new governing council, and small children greet visitors with a “V” sign for victory. But nearly two months after the Islamic State was driven off by the American-led coalition fighting the militants, the needs are even more vast than Mr. Khalil suggested, with no functioning hospitals or schools, not even the heavy equipment needed to uncover the dead.

塔布卡的街道上渐渐有了生气，这座拥有10万人口城市距拉卡仅30英里，战略位置重要，自立为伊斯兰哈里发国将首都设在拉卡。女人们进入镇里新成立的治理委员会，小孩子用手比“V”问候到访者。但在美国领导的盟军击退伊斯兰国近两个月后，各类需求比卡立勒所说的要巨大得多。没有可以运转的医院或学校，甚至没有重型机械挖出遇难者遗体。

In that respect, Tabqa stands as a laboratory for testing the Trump administration’s policy of empowering commanders in Syria to make battlefield decisions to defeat the militants while relying on a small team of State Department officials and Army civil affairs units to cement the uneasy peace that follows — all without getting into the business of nation-building. It is also a dry run for the impending capture of Raqqa, a larger, far more densely populated and better defended city.

就这一点而言，塔布卡成为检验特朗普政府政策的实验室：特朗普授权叙利亚指挥官决策沙场以打败好战分子，依靠国务院一小拨官员和陆军民政部门巩固并不牢靠的和平，从不涉足国家建设。这也是一场演练，首都拉卡即将收复，拉卡更大，人口更密集，防御也更顽固。

“Tabqa is the most immediate post-ISIS town where we could really get our feet on the ground,” said Brett H. McGurk, President Trump’s special envoy to the coalition.

“塔布卡是伊斯兰国成立后，我们真正踏足的最接近的城镇。”国际盟军的特朗普特使布雷特·麦格克说。

The United States’ strategy in Syria is to wage the ground campaign against the Islamic State through local forces in order to maintain a small American footprint. But even that requires the deployment of American advisers, plus artillery, satellite-guided rockets, Apache attack helicopters and Army Rangers — some 1,000 troops in all. The American presence comes as Iran and the Shiite militias it backs, as well as the Syrian government and Russia, are maneuvering to control territory in eastern Syria after Raqqa is taken.

美国在叙利亚的策略是通过当地势力发动对伊斯兰国的地面攻击，只让少量美国人涉足战事。即便如此，还是需要美国顾问提供部署，提供火炮、卫星制导火箭、阿帕奇武装直升机和陆军游骑兵，总计约1000名军人。美国参战的背景是，伊朗和伊朗支持的什叶派民兵以及叙利亚政府和俄罗斯都设法在攻克拉卡后调兵遣将，控制叙利亚东部地区。

The visit to Tabqa on Thursday was a first opportunity for Mr. McGurk, a small group of senior coalition officials and the Western news media to get a look at the newly liberated city, still struggling to recover from the physical and psychological scars of nearly three years of harsh control by the militants.

周四探访塔布卡是麦格克先生、盟军高级官员小组和西方媒体第一次有机会探察这座新解放的城市，它正挣扎着从好战分子近三年的残酷统治造成的身心伤疤中恢复过来。

“Basically, what you’ve got here is hundreds, if not thousands, of bodies in the rubble, which is causing a lot of flies, the flies are biting kids, the kids are getting infected,” said Al Dwyer, a senior official with the United States Agency for International Development, as American Special Operations forces drove to Tabqa in armored S.U.V.s. “Lot of rats. Smells. This is keeping people from coming back in.”

美国国际开发署的高级官员阿尔·德怀尔说：“基本上说，这里能看到得是成百上千具废墟中的尸体，引来许多苍蝇，苍蝇叮咬着儿童，儿童被感染。” 德怀尔随美国特种部队乘坐装甲车来到塔布卡。他说：“到处是老鼠，臭气熏天，人们没法回家。”

The Tabqa operation was proposed in mid-March to Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the commander of the American-led task force that is battling the Islamic State, by the top commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the combination of Syrian Kurds and Arab fighters who would provide the ground troops for the battle. It was approved without a single White House meeting.

塔布卡行动于三月中旬提交给史蒂芬·汤森德中将，汤森德是由美国领导的、在伊斯兰国作战的特遣部队的指挥官。行动计划由叙利亚民主联军最高指挥官提出，联军由叙利亚库尔德人和阿拉伯士兵组成，他们为战斗提供地面部队。白宫一次会议也没开，计划就获批了。

Just one week later, hundreds of Arab and Kurdish fighters, including many who had never flown before, were airlifted on American helicopters and Osprey planes to the southern banks of Lake Assad, across from Tabqa. Barges ferried their vehicles across the azure water while another group of Syrian fighters to the east hopped from island to island as they zipped along the Euphrates on American fast boats.

仅一周后，数百名的阿拉伯和库尔德士兵，多数人无乘机经验，他们搭乘美国直升机和鱼鹰飞机来到与塔布卡隔湖相对的阿萨德湖南岸，渡船将他们的车辆运过蔚蓝的湖水。东部另一组叙利亚战斗人员则跳岛行军，乘坐美国快艇沿幼发拉底河前进。

In the fierce battle that ensued, about 100 Kurdish and Arab fighters were killed and perhaps 10 times as many militants. One of the final confrontations occurred inside the 200-foot-tall Tabqa Dam, which used to supply 20 percent of Syria’s electricity. To try to save the dam, Syrian fighters cut a deal granting about 70 militants safe passage out of town. But the Islamic State did its best to sabotage the complex anyway: The aging red turbines were blown up while the control panels were sprayed with bullets.

随后的激烈战斗中，约100名库尔德和阿拉伯士兵牺牲，数量可能是好战分子的10倍。最后一次战斗发生在200英尺高的塔布卡大坝里，大坝为叙利亚供应20%的电力。为拯救大坝，叙利亚战机达成协议，允许约70名好战分子安全出城。但伊斯兰国尽其所能破坏大坝：老旧的红色涡轮被炸毁，控制板弹孔累累。

Syrian engineers have been trying to get one or two turbines running by cannibalizing parts from the wreckage. But with no Soviet-era parts on hand, nobody seems to think that the structure will be generating power in the months ahead, and the hazards of working in and around the dam are still significant: Last week, one newly trained Syrian demining expert was killed when he triggered an improvised explosive device.

叙利亚工程师一直尝试将残骸分解组装，让一两台涡轮机得以运行。但没有苏联时期的配件，大坝在未来几个月内发电的希望渺茫。在大坝内及其周围工作，危险仍然很大：上周，一名刚经过训练的叙利亚排雷专家因触发了一个简易爆炸装置而身亡。

But the question foremost in the minds of Tabqa’s residents is how they are going to return their lives to some semblance of normal. “There is no electricity, no food, no bread, and we need fuel for our trucks,” said Khalid Mohammed Ali Tata, 54. “Also, there are no jobs.”

但在塔布卡居民心中，头等大事是准备如何假装恢复了正常生活。“没有电，没有食物，没有面包，我们的卡车也需要燃料，”54岁的哈立德·穆罕默德·阿里·塔塔说，“也没有工作。”

International politics has added to the challenge. The Syrian government stopped paying teacher and other government salaries several months ago, depriving many residents of the ability to buy what limited food is available. The assumption is that the salaries will eventually start to flow again, if only so President Bashar al-Assad’s government can demonstrate its nominal control of the region. But Syrian forces are blocked from coming closer to the town by a new “deconfliction line” that was negotiated by American and Russian generals, and it is not clear how quickly the authorities in Damascus might start the payments.

国际政治更增添了挑战。数月前，叙利亚政府停发了教师及其他政府人员的工资，许多居民无法购买本来就不多的食品。人们认为，总统巴沙尔·阿萨德的政府要表明对该地区实施名义上的控制，最终还是要发工资的。但因美国和俄罗斯将军谈判决定了新的“无冲突线”，叙利亚军队不能接近该镇，目前尚不清楚大马士革当局何时开始付薪。

Turkey, annoyed by the United States’ decision to train and arm a Kurdish militia it has claimed is linked to the separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party, has sealed its borders, including for the most basic humanitarian assistance. The United Nations is active in Syria but has yet to begin any relief efforts in Tabqa, and it has mounted only one effort outside of the areas squarely controlled by the Assad government.

土耳其对美国训练和武装库尔德民兵的决定表示不满，土耳其宣称民兵与库尔德工人党有联系，因此封锁了边界，阻断了最基本的人道主义援助。联合国在叙利亚工作积极，但尚未在塔布卡开展任何救济行动，在阿萨德政府直接控制以外的地区也只进行了一次救济。

That leaves the United States to serve as a stopgap for the most immediate needs. Nearly 50 tons of flour, paid for by the Pentagon, were trucked in from Iraq to an American-funded warehouse on Wednesday. Another large shipment of American food aid — enough for 30,000 people for 30 days — will be divided among several towns and camps for displaced people in the Raqqa area, including Tabqa.

这使美国临时担任了满足人们迫切需求的角色。由五角大楼埋单的近50吨面粉，周三从伊拉克运到美国投资兴建的一所仓库。另有足够3万人30天食用的大批美国粮食援助将分配到拉卡地区的几个城镇和难民营，其中包括塔布卡。

The United States is also sending in heavy equipment to move debris and is funding demining efforts. And the American-led coalition is vetting and training forces to hold Tabqa, Raqqa and other nearby areas after they are retaken. They are being put through a two-week training course and will be responsible for maintaining public safety, tracking down any Islamic State fighters in hiding, preventing revenge killings and generally keeping order.

美国也在派重机械清理残骸，并资助排雷行动。美国领导的盟军正审查和训练部队，控制攻克后的塔布卡、拉卡和附近地区。受训人员正接受为期两周的培训课程，将负责维护公共安全、追击伊斯兰国所有潜伏下来的武装者、防止报复性杀戮及总体维持秩序。

The problems run far deeper than that, and it is not clear who, if anyone, will rebuild the town’s collapsed and damaged buildings or fix the turbines inside the dam. But citing the lessons of Iraq, the Trump administration is staying away from nation-building, whether it involves picking local leaders or undertaking major reconstruction programs.

战后面临的问题还有很多，就算有人会重建城市中倒塌和损坏的建筑，修好大坝涡轮，现在尚不清楚谁会承担这一工作。但汲取了伊拉克的教训，特朗普政府决定不参与国家建设，不论是挑选地方领导还是承担重大重建项目。

“We are not going to get beauty; it’s about pragmatism,” said Maj. Gen. Rupert Jones of the British Army, the deputy commander of the coalition force. “If they have put their troops in harm’s way, then it’s got to be their design.”

“我们不会一味追求“美”；一切从实用出发，“联军副指挥官、英军少将鲁珀特·琼斯说， “如果他们让自家部队身处险境，那是他们自找的。”

But not all of the town’s requests are being heeded. Shortly after driving over the dam, one coalition soldier pointed out a building where the Islamic State indoctrinated children as “cubs of the caliphate,” the militants’ version of the Cub Scouts. As Mr. McGurk, the president’s special envoy, was meeting with the new Tabqa Civil Council, a leader of the body made an impassioned plea for help deprogramming the town’s children, who have not attended normal schools since the Islamic State took control of the area.

可并非镇里的所有诉求都得到关注。开车在大坝行进不久，一名联军士兵指着一所建筑物，伊斯兰国在那里教导儿童，把他们打造为“哈里发的幼崽”，即好战分子的童子军。特朗普总统特使麦格克先生与新“塔布卡民政委员会”会面时，该机构领导人恳求提供帮忙，让镇里的孩子清醒过来，自从伊斯兰国控制该地区后，他们就没有上过正规学校。

“A fundamental problem in our society is that ISIS’ ideology has been implanted in little kids’ brains, which means it will carry on in the future,” said Ahmad al-Ahmad, the co-president of the council. “We need psychological assistance for the kids in school and to teach them the real way of living.”

“我们社会的一个根本问题是伊斯兰国把意识形态植入小孩子的思想中，意味着这种思想会传承下去。” 该委员会联合主席艾哈迈德·艾哈迈德说，“我们需要在学校里为孩子们提供心理援助，教会他们真正的生活方式。”

The Americans said that they were ready to provide desks and chalkboards, but that the Tabqa council should direct requests to the United Nations International Children’s Fund, when the United Nations finally reaches the town.

美方说准备提供书桌和黑板，但是表示塔布卡委员会应在联合国最终到达城镇时向联合国国际儿童基金会提出请求。

Even as they are trying to help Tabqa, American officials are trying to mobilize more international support for what they anticipate will be a far more demanding situation in Raqqa. Experts have already identified 400 potential “stabilization sites” in the city that may need to be repaired and cleared of mines and other explosives, like water treatment and electrical power plants, grain storage silos and other crucial parts of the city’s infrastructure.

美国试图帮助塔布卡，可美国官员正动员更多国际支持，应付形势更为严峻的拉卡市。专家已确定城里400个的潜在“稳定点”，它们需要修复、扫雷及排除其他爆炸物，这些地方包括水处理厂、发电厂、粮库和城市基础设施的其他关键部分。

“Tabqa is a dry run,” Mr. McGurk said. “There is a lot of work ahead.”

“塔布卡是一场演练，”麦格克说：“今后还有许多工作要做。”

译者 Bessie