Bahrain police crack down on protest march

Bahraini security forces have used tear gas and stun grenades to try to disperse anti-government protesters marching along a road toward the island kingdom’s capital.

Journalists witnessed the clashes near the town of Diraz and other opposition stronghold villages west of the capital, Manama.

Hundreds of marchers, some waving red and white Bahraini flags, were seen marching along the Budaiya Highway toward the capital when the clashes broke out.

Opposition groups in recent days have issued online calls for marchers to occupy the highway.

The protest follows 10 months of unrest in the Gulf nation between the Sunni monarchy and an opposition movement led by the country’s majority Shiites.