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進入《中英對照讀新聞》UAE sending Colombian mercenaries to Yemen： sources 消息人士：阿拉伯聯合大公國派哥倫比亞傭兵赴葉門
◎管淑平
The United Arab Emirates has secretly sent some 300 Colombian mercenaries to fight for it in Yemen, paying handsomely to recruit a private army of well-trained, battle-hardened South American soldiers, sources told AFP.
消息人士告訴法新社，以支付優渥報酬招募訓練精良、身經百戰的南美洲士兵，組成一支私人軍隊的阿拉伯聯合大公國，秘密派遣約300名哥倫比亞傭兵到葉門為其作戰。
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Colombians’ experience fighting leftist guerrillas and drug traffickers in their home country made them attractive recruits for the UAE.
這些在匿名前提下透露消息的人士說，這些哥倫比亞人在其祖國與左派游擊隊和毒梟作戰的經驗，使其受到阿聯青睞。
"Colombian soldiers are highly prized for their training in fighting guerrillas," one source, a Colombian former army officer, told AFP in Bogota.
「哥倫比亞士兵因其對抗游擊隊的訓練而受到高度重視」，消息人士之一的哥倫比亞前軍官在波哥大向法新社說。
The presence of Colombian troops in Yemen’s bloody conflict further complicates what is already a messy proxy war pitting Iran, which backs the rebels, against a US-backed Arab coalition led by rival regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia.
哥倫比亞部隊參與葉門血腥衝突，使這場已經一團糟的代理人戰爭變得更複雜；這場戰爭是支持反抗軍的伊朗，與其受到美國力挺的區域大國對手沙烏地阿拉伯領導的阿拉伯聯盟較量。
He said the UAE sought to sweeten the deal by limiting tours of duty to three months and offering an extra $120 a day in combat pay.
他說，阿聯以限制每次派駐時間3個月，並提供每日額外120美元的戰鬥津貼，提高這筆交易的誘因。
"They want to make war an industry using Colombians as cannon fodder," he said. （AFP）
「他們想讓戰爭成為一項產業，拿哥倫比亞人當砲灰。」他說。（法新社）
新聞辭典：
prize：動詞，視為珍貴或重要。例句：We were taught to prize honour above money.（我們被教導珍視榮譽甚於錢財。）
pit sb/sth against sb/sth：片語，使兩者相鬥、較量。例句：The tiny country has only a small army to pit against the warlords’ hordes of soldiers.（這個小國只有一小支軍隊對抗軍閥的大批部隊。）
cannon fodder：名詞，生命被視為不重要的一般士兵被送去作戰。例句：African warlords use young soldiers as cannon fodder.（非洲軍閥利用年輕士兵當砲灰。）
