The Kurdish dream of an independent state in northern Iraq, which took wing with overwhelming support in a referendum on September 25, crashed to earth three weeks later, as Iran-backed Iraqi forces on Monday seized back Kirkuk, the oil-rich area contested between Kurds and Arabs, which could now become a new frontline for another war within the many wars tearing apart the Middle East.
庫(kù)爾德人想在伊拉克北部建立一個(gè)獨(dú)立國(guó)家的夢(mèng)想——9月25日公投中的壓倒性贊成票為這個(gè)夢(mèng)想插上了翅膀——在公投三周后破滅:由伊朗支持的伊拉克武裝力量周一奪回了對(duì)基爾庫(kù)克(Kirkuk)的控制。庫(kù)爾德人和阿拉伯人激烈爭(zhēng)奪這塊石油儲(chǔ)量豐富的地盤(pán),如今它可能成為多場(chǎng)撕裂中東的戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)中又一場(chǎng)戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)的新前線(xiàn)。