Bahrain is like a War Zone! Troops 'fire on crowds'

Adeel

Founder
Are any of you following what is happening in Bahrain a.k.a 'ARboon ki ayashi ka Adda'? Thousands are in streets and the King isn't taking any risks after what happened in Egypt. Dozens of people have been killed already. AlJazeera is showing some gruesome scenes.

I have never watched AlJazeera until the recent coverage of Egypt revolution and I must admit, It is hands down the best news channel out there.

Here is the link and bookmark it:
AlJazeera English
 

Adeel

Founder
Security Forces in Bahrain Open Fire on Mourners

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MANAMA, Bahrain — Government forces opened fire on hundreds of mourners marching toward Pearl Square on Friday, sending people running away in panic amid the boom of concussion grenades. But even as the people fled, at least one helicopter sprayed fire on them and a witness reported seeing mourners crumpling to the ground.

It was not immediately clear what type of ammunition the forces were firing, but some witnesses reported fire from automatic weapons and the crowd was screaming “live fire, live fire.” At a nearby hospital, witnesses reported seeing people with very serious injuries and gaping wounds, at least some of them caused by rubber bullets that appeared to have been fired at close range.

Even as ambulances rushed to rescue people, forces fired on medics loading the wounded into their vehicles. That only added to the chaos, with people pitching in to evacuate the wounded by car and doctors at a nearby hospital saying the delays in casualties reaching them made it impossible to get a reasonable count of the dead and wounded.

A Western official said at least one person had died in the mayhem surrounding the square, and reports said at least 50 had been wounded. The official quoted a witness as saying that those shooting were in the military, not the police, indicating a hardening of the government’s stance against those trying to stage a popular revolt.

Thousands of people gathered at the hospital, offering blood for the wounded, and doctors said they had to work as “volunteers” because the government had issued orders against helping protesters.

The mourners who defied a government ban to march on Pearl Square were mostly young men who had been part of a funeral procession for a protester killed in an earlier crackdown by the police.

Minutes after the first shots were fired, forces in a helicopter that had been shooting at the crowds opened fire at a Western reporter and videographer who were filming a sequence on the latest violence. Two young men who had been in the march said some of the fire came from snipers.

The crown prince, Sheik Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, went on Bahrain TV to call for calm, saying, “Today is the time to sit down and hold a dialogue, not to fight," Reuters reported.

The violence came a day after both President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urged the leaders of the country, a longtime ally, to show restraint. President Obama reiterated that message on Friday and condemned the violence in Bahrain, Libya and Yemen.

“The United States condemns the use of violence by governments against peaceful protesters in those countries and wherever else it may occur,” Mr. Obama said. “We express our condolences to the family and friends of those who have been killed during the demonstrations.”

The president, who also spoke of the right of assembly as a “universal” right, made the remarks in a statement read to reporters traveling with him on a domestic trip on Air Force One.

At least seven people had died in clampdowns in Bahrain before Friday’s violence.

The chaos has left the Obama administration in the uncomfortable position of dealing with a strategic Arab ally locked in a showdown with its people.

The protests in Bahrain started Monday, inspired by the overthrow of autocratic governments in Egypt and Tunisia. The Bahraini government initially cracked down hard, then backed off after at least two deaths and complaints from the United States.

But since Thursday morning, security forces have shown little patience with the protesters, first firing on demonstrators sleeping in Pearl Square early Thursday morning, killing at least five, and then shooting today at those who gathered to mark an earlier death.

The violence appeared to be transforming the demands of the protesters, who early on were calling for a switch from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional one. On Thursday, the opposition withdrew from the Parliament and demanded that the government step down. And on Friday, the mourners were chanting slogans like “death to Khalifa,” referring to King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa.

The protests here, while trying to mimic those in Egypt and Tunisia, add a dangerous new element: religious division. The king and the ruling elite of Bahrain are Sunni, while the majority of the population are Shiites, who have been leading the demonstrations and demanding not only more freedom but equality.

The king is distrustful enough of his Shiite subjects that many of his soldiers and police officers are foreigners hired by the government.


read more here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/19/world/middleeast/19bahrain.html?_r=2&hp
 

YAHYA87

Senator (1k+ posts)
Are any of you following what is happening in Bahrain a.k.a 'ARboon ki ayashi ka Adda'? Thousands are in streets and the King isn't taking any risks after what happened in Egypt. Dozens of people have been killed already. AlJazeera is showing some gruesome scenes.

I have never watched AlJazeera until the recent coverage of Egypt revolution and I must admit, It is hands down the best news channel out there.

Here is the link and bookmark it:
AlJazeera English
Incase if you dont know then this is PURELY Shia Sunni stuff going on in Behrain......Behrain is Shia Majority country with Sunni Ruling Monarchy which is the reason of Conflict here as due to Shia Sunni difference among people and Govt. many Internal Conflicts are occurs in that country between Govt. and People......I think its time either Monarchy should step down or Empower their Parliament to deal with a country just like what happen in UK, Netherlands and other European Countries including Thailand......If they have any intention to remain in Power or Pack their Bags and find another location before they are DEALT with in the same way as Husni Mubarak was dealt with.......
 

hans

Banned
Saudi Arabia sending troops to Bahrain

Saudi Arabia is sending troops to Bahrain to help King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa crack down on pro-democracy protesters who took to the streets in the capital Manama, a political analyst says.


He made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Tuesday.

Bahraini police have been using tear gas and batons to disperse the pro-democracy protesters in the Bahraini capital.

Three protesters were shot dead by police in the Shia village of Daih, which is located in the suburbs of Manama.

The latest fatalities came as the protesters were participating in the funeral ceremony of another protester who lost his life on Monday.

His death prompted the opposition to call for massive participation in the funeral and to urge Bahrainis to escalate the pro-democracy protests.

Security forces have been deployed in force along the main routes into Manama in an effort to prevent a gathering that had been inspired by similar online initiatives around the Arab world.

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Mufti warns of revolution in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabian Mufti Sheikh Yusof al-Ahmad has warned that unless the government fights poverty and unemployment, it will face a revolution like those in Egypt and Tunisia.


In a video published on the internet, al-Ahmad says due to the poverty rate of 22 percent, the recent popular uprisings in the Arab world will permeate into Saudi Arabia.

Last year, the floods in Jeddah -- Saudi Arabia's second largest city -- resulted in the deaths of tens of people and homelessness of thousands and sparked public anger, al-Arab newspaper quoted the Mufti as saying on Monday.

The way people express their anger has changed in an unprecedented way, due to the injustice and the feeling of being oppressed, he added.

Al-Ahmad criticized the Saudi government for allocating 112 billion Saudi rials (USD 29.8 billion) to King Abdullah University and 72 billion Saudi rials to Princess Noura University in Riyadh, saying such budget was enough to build 72 universities and create 300,000 jobs for the citizens.

Al-Ahmad said supervision over public assets was necessary to prevent overspending.

In 2009, the Saudi Arabian members of parliament announced that in spite of the kingdom's three-year plan for fighting poverty, around 22 percent of the people live below the poverty line.

Saudi Arabia's official figures put the country's unemployment rate at 10.5 percent, while according to the unofficial figures, joblessness stands around 20 percent.
 

adnan_swati

Senator (1k+ posts)
Re: More than 100 protesters killed in Libya, Bahrain and Yemen

may god succeed them and may this become a wave of change in whole muslim world in coming years
 

adnan_swati

Senator (1k+ posts)
Re: More than 100 protesters killed in Libya, Bahrain and Yemen

as far as pakistan is concerned i just pray that our rulers and awam stop munafiqat in every aspect of life and change will be there.thanks to jinnah we dont have kings in our country