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タイ在住11年目、妻はタイ人、娘が2人、養女が2人

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Is Obama opening door toward a ground war against ISIL militants?
対「イスラム国」　オバマ氏は地上戦に道開くか

The United States will deploy more potent military operations aimed at wiping out the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant extremist group. We positively welcome this change in U.S. policy.
　過激派組織「イスラム国」の壊滅に向け、より強力な軍事作戦を展開する。米国の方針転換を前向きに評価したい。

U.S. President Barack Obama has presented to Congress a draft resolution that would authorize the use of military force, including limited-scale ground operations, against ISIL.
　オバマ米大統領が、イスラム国に対する限定的な地上作戦を含む武力行使の承認決議案を米議会に提示した。

Obama denied the U.S. military will participate in a long-term, major ground combat operation, such as the Iraq War. Rather, the plan is premised on operations such as using U.S. special forces in attacks against ISIL leaders and ramping up tactical support for airstrikes. The validity of the proposed legislation would be limited to three years.
　イラク戦争のような長期の大規模な地上戦への米軍の参加は否定しつつ、特殊部隊によるイスラム国指導者への攻撃や空爆支援の強化などを想定する。決議案の有効期限は３年間に限定した。

In an announcement of the plan, Obama declared, “Our coalition is on the offensive ... and ISIL is going to lose.”
　オバマ氏は声明で、「有志連合は攻勢に出ており、イスラム国は敗北する」と強調した。

As well as beefing up the strike power being aimed at ISIL, which still controls swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria, the draft resolution is also intended to solidify unity among the about 60 nations that are members of this coalition of the willing. We think this course of action is reasonable.
　決議案は、今なおイラクとシリアで一定の地域を支配するイスラム国に対する攻撃力を高めるとともに、約６０か国が参加する有志連合の結束を強めるのが目的だ。その方向性は妥当だろう。

More than 2,000 airstrikes have been conducted by the U.S.-led coalition since they started more than six months ago. The airstrikes have reportedly killed about half of ISIL’s leaders and about 6,000 fighters, so they have produced some results.
　米軍主導の有志連合による空爆は開始から半年を過ぎ、計２０００回を超えた。イスラム国の指揮官の約半数と戦闘員６０００人前後を殺害したとされ、ある程度の成果を上げている。

Rescue missions vital

Meanwhile, one grim reality is that, so far, more than 20,000 foreign fighters have gone to join ISIL. These fighters have come from at least 90 nations. No optimism is warranted over the prospects for the mopping-up operations ahead.
　一方で、これまでにイスラム国に加わった外国人戦闘員が２万人を超え、その出身国が９０以上に及ぶという厳しい現実もある。掃討作戦の前途は楽観を許さない。

If the draft resolution is adopted, it will become possible for the United States to commit special operations forces to missions directly targeting the ISIL leadership. If this can accelerate the weakening of the extremist group, its military significance would be huge.
　決議案が採択されれば、イスラム国の指導部を直接の標的とする作戦への特殊部隊の投入が可能になる。組織の弱体化を加速できるなら、軍事的な意義は大きい。

There are expectations that having U.S. military personnel on the ground to help select airstrike targets will substantially improve the accuracy of these strikes.
　地上の米軍要員が空爆目標の選定に関与することで、空爆の精度の大幅な向上が期待される。

The Iraqi military, Kurdish military forces and moderate Syrian forces are engaged in ground fighting with ISIL. It is also crucial that greater information and planning support be extended to these forces.
　イスラム国と地上戦を続けるイラク軍、クルド人部隊、シリア穏健勢力に対する情報や計画立案面の支援の強化も欠かせない。

If military personnel or citizens from the United States or other members of the coalition are captured by ISIL, U.S. special forces also will play a role in conducting rescue operations.
　米軍の特殊部隊は、米国や有志連合メンバー国の要員や民間人がイスラム国に拘束された場合に、救出作戦を行う役割も担う。

Coalition members’ concerns about the safety of their military personnel have mounted since ISIL captured and then murdered the pilot of a Jordanian military plane that crashed in Syria while on an airstrike operation. The draft resolution apparently also aims to be a response to these anxieties.
　ヨルダン軍機がシリア上空で空爆作戦中に墜落し、パイロットがイスラム国に拘束、殺害された事件の後、有志連合各国は軍事要員の安全への懸念を強めた。決議案は、こうした不安の声に応える側面もあると言える。

With the number of victims from different countries increasing as ISIL murders its hostages, such rescue operations are growing more important to preserve solidarity among the international community.
　イスラム国の人質殺害による各国の犠牲者が増える中、国際社会の連帯を維持するうえで、救出作戦は重要性を増している。

The Iraqi military and Kurdish forces are forecast to launch an operation sometime this spring or later to retake Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, which is currently under ISIL control. The question will be just how much the U.S. military will contribute to this fight, given that it could sway how the battle develops in the future.
　今春以降、イスラム国が支配するイラク第２の都市モスルの奪還作戦を、イラク軍やクルド人部隊が行う見通しだ。今後の戦況を左右するだけに、米軍がどこまで関与するかが問われよう。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Feb. 13, 2015)