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Syria has crossed a "red line" with its use of chemical weapons, including the nerve agent sarin gas, against rebels, a move that is prompting the United States to increase the "scale and scope" of its support for the opposition, the White House said Thursday. |
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敘利亞已跨越了「紅線」，使用化學武器來對付反抗軍，包括神經毒劑沙林毒氣。此舉促使美國提高支持反抗陣營的「規模與範圍」，白宮於週四表示。 |
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The acknowledgment is the first time President Barack Obama's administration has definitively said what it has long suspected -- that President Bashar al-Assad's forces have used chemical weapons in the ongoing civil war. |
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此聲明是歐巴馬總統政府首度確切說出他們長久以來的懷疑──亦即阿薩德總統的部隊在目前持續進行的內戰當中使用了化學武器。 |
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"The intelligence community estimates that 100 to 150 people have died from detected chemical weapons attacks in Syria to date; however, casualty data is likely incomplete," said Ben Rhodes, the deputy national security adviser for strategic communications, in a statement released by the White House. |
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「情報圈估計，敘利亞至今因偵測到的化學武器攻擊已造成一百至一百五十人喪生；不過，傷亡資料可能不完全，」負責戰略聯絡事務的副國家安全顧問羅茲在一份由白宮發布的聲明中表示。 |
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"While the lethality of these attacks make up only a small portion of the catastrophic loss of life in Syria, which now stands at more than 90,000 deaths, the use of chemical weapons violates international norms and crosses clear red lines that have existed within the international community for decades," Rhodes added. |
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「這些攻擊行動奪走的性命，在敘利亞死亡人數已超過九萬的慘重傷亡當中雖然僅佔一小部分，但使用化學武器違反了國際規範，也跨越了數十年來存在於國際社會當中的明確紅線，」羅茲接著指出。 |
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The administration also appeared to indicate that it was stepping up its support of the rebels, who have been calling for the United States and others to provide arms needed to battle al-Assad's forces. |
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美國政府也似乎表示他們正在強化對於反抗軍的支持，反抗軍原本就呼籲美國及其他國家提供對抗阿薩德軍隊所需要的武器。 |
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Rhodes later told reporters on a conference call that the president has made a decision about military support for the rebels but stopped short of saying the U.S. government would put weapons in the hands of the rebels. |
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羅茲後來在一場電話會議上向記者表示，總統已針對軍事支援反抗軍做出決定，但沒有說美國政府將會為反抗軍提供武器。 |
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The president has previously said he did not foresee a scenario with "American boots on the ground in Syria." |
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總統先前曾說，他不認為會走到「美國部隊踏上敘利亞領土」的地步。 |
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