Saturday, February 19, 2011

Bahrain royal family orders army to turn on the people

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Sixty hurt as Bahrain troops fire on protesters: Protesters run for shelter after Bahraini security forces opened fire at protesters marching towards the Pearl Square in capital Manama February 18, 2011. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
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Bahraini protesters face off against army tanks after some shots were thought to have been fired, according to some demonstrators, near the Pearl roundabout Friday, Feb. 18, 2011, in Manama, Bahrain. Several prayed then sat down and shouted ‘peaceful, peaceful’. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali)

Bahrain’s ruling family has defied mounting international criticism by ordering the army to turn on its people for the first time since pro-reform demonstrations erupted five days ago.

18 Feb 2011
By Adrian Blomfield in Manama
The Telegraph (UK)

As protesters attempted to converge on Pearl Roundabout, a landmark in the capital Manama that has become the principal rallying point of the uprising, soldiers stationed in a nearby skyscraper opened fire.

Since they took to the streets, Bahrain’s protesters have come to expect violence and even death at the hands of the kingdom’s security forces. At least five people were killed before yesterday’s protests.

But this was on a different scale of magnitude.

As they drew near, they were met first with tear gas and then with bursts of live ammunition.

Many fled the first salvoes, scrambling down empty streets as the shots rang out behind them.

As they ran, terror and disbelief flashed across their faces. One man shouted: “They are killing our people! They are killing our people.”

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