Bahrain arrested several opposition leaders on Thursday as part of a crackdown on anti-government protests in the Gulf kingdom, driven by majority Shiites, who are calling for democracy and civil rights.
Five hardline Shiite activists and one Sunni were rounded up during the night, a parliamentarian from the Shiite opposition alliance told AFP.
They were arrested in the night, Al-Wefaq deputy leader Khalil Marzouk told AFP.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said she finds the situation in Bahrain alarming and criticised the government's use of force against protesters. She said Bahrain and Gulf allies were on the wrong track and urged the tiny Gulf kingdom to negotiate a political agreement with demonstrators.
We find what's happening in Bahrain alarming. We think that there is no security answer to the aspirations and demands of the demonstrators, she told CBS. They are on the wrong track.
The US State Department also released a message on twitter, saying We object to excessive force and violence against demonstrators; we raised our concerns directly today to Bahrain.
Forces in Bahrain used tanks and helicopters to drive protesters off the streets and clear a camp that had become a symbol of their demand for more rights and powers on the Sunni-ruled island.ReutersCars line up at a checkpoint (R) set up by Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) forces as heavy machinery clears the opposition camp (L) in Pearl Square in Manama March 17, 2011. Troops were only allowing residents in and a long line of cars was backed up behind a checkpoint, waving through drivers heading to work in the financial district, where the protesters had tried to extend their sit-in early this week.ReutersA soldier from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) forces prays in front of his Armour Personnel Carrier as his fellow solider keeps watch while they guard the Bahrain Financial Harbour in Manama March 16, 2011. ReutersFollowers of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr demonstrated in Baghdad and Basra on Wednesday in support of mainly-Shi'ite demonstrators in Bahrain, denouncing intervention by Saudi troops. ReutersBahraini forces used tanks and helicopters to drive protesters from the streets on Wednesday clearing a camp that had become a symbol of the Shi'ite Muslim uprising and drawing rare criticism from their U.S. Allies.ReutersThousands of the nascent Feb. 14 youth movement are still occupying Manama's Pearl Square and have launched almost daily marches, which have forced shops in the area to remain closed amid fears of attacks...Reuters
