Five die as soldiers clear Bahrain protest

Soldiers and riot police used tear gas and armoured vehicles to expel hundreds of protesters from a landmark square in Bahrain’s capital.

Officials said at least five people were killed as clashes flared across the kingdom challenging the 200-year-old monarchy,

The unrest that began last month has increasingly showed signs of a sectarian showdown, with the country’s Sunni leaders desperate to hold power and majority Shi’ites calling for an end to their dynasty.

A Saudi-led force from Bahrain’s Gulf allies, fearful for their own regimes and worried about Shi’ite Iran’s growing influence, has grown to more than 1,000 soldiers.

Yesterday’s full-scale assault came at dawn in Pearl Square, the centre of the uprising inspired by Arab revolts in Egypt and Tunisia. Hours later, security forces were picking through burned debris and other remains of the protest camp.

In another area of Bahrain, one witness described police in a village “hunting” Shi’ites in what could be part of a wider campaign of intimidation.

The king’s declaration on Tuesday of a three-month emergency rule and the crackdown on Pearl Square sent a message that authorities will strike back with overwhelming force in the strategic island nation, which hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.

Security forces barred journalists and others from moving freely around Manama and other areas of the country a day after emergency rule was declared. A curfew from 4am to 4pm was imposed in most of the country.

Witnesses said at least two protesters were killed when the square was stormed. Officials at Ibn Nafees Hospital said a third protester later died from wounds.

But the government said the only fatalities during the raid were two policemen who were “repeatedly run over by three vehicles containing protesters leaving the fringes of the scene”. The Interior Ministry also said a policeman was killed late on Tuesday.

The government did not say whether the offensive included soldiers from the other Gulf nations.

State television showed footage of military vehicles in the square flying Bahrain’s red-and-white flag as security officials moved through the wreckage of the encampment, set up at the base of a towering monument to the country’s history as a pearl diving centre. The video showed the ground littered with debris, including satellite dishes and charred tent poles.

Helicopters criss-crossed over the square, which was cleared by security forces late last month but was later retaken by protesters after a deadly confrontation with army units.

During the attack, protesters fled for cover into side streets and security forces blocked main roads into Manama. Mobile phones were apparently jammed in central Manama during the height of the attack and internet services remained slow.