SECURITY FORCES IN BAHRAIN have swept through the capital’s Pearl Square, forcing protesters from the symbolic centre of the month-long protests.
The AP reports that police used tear gas and armoured vehicles to clear the camp and says at least nine people have been reported killed since the king declared martial law yesterday.
On Monday, around 1,000 Saudi troops and 500 UAE police arrived into Bahrain in response to an appeal from the king for support from the other Gulf Cooperation Council members.
Witnesses say two protesters were killed when the square was stormed and hospital officials say a third died later in hospital.
State TV reported that two policemen died after being struck by a vehicle driven by anti-government protesters, and the interior ministry said at least one other policeman died, without providing further details.
Yesterday, a Saudi soldier and two civilians were reported to have died.
Al Jazeera reports that the government has called for a 4pm to 4am curfew on the areas where protests were recently held, including Pearl Square.
Earlier today, an Irish woman living in Bahrain told TheJournal.ie that curfews had been in place in some parts of the country, but most people were staying indoors today in case of trouble. Fiona Gaffney said she thought sectarian divisions had been exacerbated throughout the unrest.
Speaking in Cairo yesterday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for “calm and restraint on all sides in Bahrain” and urged all sides to move towards negotiation for a solution to the unrest:
We’re particularly concerned about increasing reports of provocative acts and sectarian violence by all groups. The use of force and violence from any source will only worsen the situation and create a much more difficult environment in which to arrive at a political solution.
Today’s military action in Pearl Square may be seen as a symbolic victory by Bahraini forces rather than of strategic importance, as protesters calling for national political reform will still be able to gather in other parts of the city.
- Additional reporting by the AP
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