The tortuous war against Isis is taking a treacherous turn. Two years after the militant Sunni group declared its brutal caliphate, the US and its allies in Iraq and Syria have begun a two-front offensive to dislodge the militant group from its strongholds in the Iraqi city of Falluja and Raqqa in Syria. But, while the campaign has made progress, the composition of the forces leading the battles in the two Arab Sunni cities is intensifying sectarian and ethnic tensions in the bitterly divided nations and beyond. The danger is that the US-led action will, ultimately, help Isis gain legitimacy as a defender of Sunnis — even if it cedes territory.
打击“伊斯兰国”(ISIS)的艰难战事正遭遇危险的转向。在这个逊尼派武装组织宣告成立其残暴的“哈里发国”两年后，美国及其在伊拉克和叙利亚的盟友在两条战线上对ISIS发起攻势，试图将该组织驱离其在伊拉克城市费卢杰(Falluja)和叙利亚城市拉卡(Raqqa)的大本营。但是，尽管这场战役取得进展，但主导向这两个逊尼派城市进攻的各派军事力量的构成，正在加剧这两个尖锐分裂国家乃至整个地区的宗派和民族关系紧张。当前的危险在于，美国领导的行动最终将帮助ISIS获得作为逊尼派守卫者的合法性——即便ISIS不得不放弃地盘。