Sending troops into Bahrain, Saudis break new ground

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For the first time since the eruption of popular protests in the Middle East last December, Arab military forces are being deployed in a neighboring state, as Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE) forces entered Bahrain on Monday at the invitation of the government.

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The move came two days after US Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited Bahrain and pressed its rulers to implement political reforms to defuse tensions with the Shi'ite Muslim majority.

"This is one of the most significant episodes in shaping the Middle East," Salman Shaikh, director of the Brookings Doha Center, a Qatar-based think tank, told The Media Line. "The question now is whether we can avoid escalation and start meaningful dialogue between government and opposition. I would say the chances of that are very slim."

Less than 24 hours after the deployment, the force suffered its first casualty when a Saudi soldier was shot dead by a Bahraini protester in Manama, a security official told the Associated Press. Meanwhile, Bahrain’s King Hamad Al-Khalifah announced a three-month state of emergency, granting the army wider authority to clamp down on protesters.

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=212270

[ready4ONE 5,400]

Curiously Gulfnews the online version of the Emarites newspaper carries this story but only mentions Saudi Arabia by name, their forces (Emarites) are lumped with Saudi as "GCC" forces.

Hope this all works out ok but...

[James and Cynthia 70]

...granting the army wider authority to clamp down on protesters.

My fiancee's sister is working in Bahrain. She has been sending links to reports on how the govenment has been clamping down on protesters. What they are doing is not humane. It's one thing to clamp down on protesters that are causing violence, but it's another to beat and kill innocent protesters who are doing it peacefully or the doctors that are only helping the victoms.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oZeVH2TYPU

-James