Bahrain pulls back military; protesters stand firm
WASHINGTON
But a prominent opposition leader said the withdrawal of army
tanks and armored personnel carriers from the capital of Manama is
not enough to open talks with rulers in the crisis-wracked Gulf
nation.
Ibrahim Sharif, head of the Waad Society, demanded guarantees
that protesters can stage rallies without fear of being attacked.
Waad is an umbrella group of protest factions.
Jubilant Bahrainis honked car horns, waved flags and flashed
v-for-victory signs as the armored vehicles began moving away from
Pearl Square, the symbolic center of their uprising against the
Sunni monarchy in the predominantly Shiite nation.
An Associated Press photographer saw a contingent of riot police
who replaced the military forces fire tear gas at people
celebrating the military withdrawal from the square and detain at
least 10 people.
The riot police then left their positions, got into vehicles and
drove away, allowing thousands of cheering protesters carrying
Bahraini flags, flowers and signs that said "Peaceful, peaceful"
to march to the square.
"We are victorious," the protesters chanted.
On Friday, army units opened fire on marchers streaming toward
the square, . More than 50 people were injured in the second
consecutive day of clashes.
Thousands of protesters took over the square earlier in the
week, setting up a camp with tents and placards, but they were
driven out by riot police in a deadly assault Thursday that killed
five people and injured more than 200. The government clamped down
on Manama by sending the tanks and other armored vehicles into the
streets around the square, putting up barbed wire and establishing
checkpoints to deter gatherings.
According to a government statement, the withdrawal order came
from Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, deputy supreme
commander of the armed forces and the member of the royal family
who has been designated to open a dialogue with protest leaders.
The statement said he had ordered "the withdrawal of all
military from the streets of Bahrain with immediate effect."
"The Bahrain police force will continue to oversee law and
order," the statement said.
It was not immediately clear if the tanks and other armored
vehicles were headed all the way back to military bases.
The crown prince appealed for calm and political dialogue in a
brief address on state TV.
"The sooner we return to calm, the sooner we can reach our
goals," Salman said.
"Citizens of Bahrain, let's work together with all political
blocks to help return the security situation to normal so we can
announce a day of mourning for those we've lost."
U.S. President Barack Obama discussed the situation with King
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, asking him to hold those responsible for
the violence accountable. He said in a statement that Bahrain must
respect the "universal rights" of its people and embrace
"meaningful reform."
Protesters who tried to march to the square Friday described a
chaotic scene of tear gas clouds, bullets coming from many
directions and people slipping in pools of blood as they sought
cover. Some claimed the gunfire came from either helicopters or
sniper nests.
The clash came hours after funeral mourners and worshippers at
Friday prayers called for the toppling of the Western-allied
monarchy in the tiny island nation that is home to the U.S. Navy's
5th Fleet, the centerpiece of the Pentagon's efforts to confront
Iranian military influence.
Some members of Bahrain's Sunni ruling system worry that Shiite
powerhouse Iran could use Bahrain's majority Shiites as a further
foothold in the region.
The cries against the king and his inner circle -- at a main
Shiite mosque and at burials for those killed when security forces
attacked a protest camp in Pearl Square -- reflect a sharp
escalation of the political uprising, which began with calls to
weaken the Sunni monarchy's power and address claims of
discrimination against the Shiite majority.
The mood, however, has turned toward defiance of the entire
ruling system after the crackdown, which put the nation under
emergency-style footing with military forces in key areas and
checkpoints on main roads.