GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: Bahrain's Shiite leader wants Saudi-led force out

 

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: Federal News Radio

30March2011 10:05amEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) – Bahrain's Shiite opposition leader is demanding the Saudi-led force the Gulf nation's Sunni rulers invited to help quell the anti-government protests leaves the country.

Ali Salman says foreign troops must leave because the opposition rejects "any military intervening for any party" here.

About 1,500 troops from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states entered Bahrain two weeks ago on the Sunni monarch's invitation. Bahrain's king also declared emergency rule and cracked down heavily on protesters who have challenged the royal family's monopoly on power.

Shiite powerhouse Iran strongly condemned the deployment.

But Salman on Wednesday also said Iran shouldn't interfere. He told reporters that "we don't want Bahrain to turn into a conflict zone" between Saudi Arabia and Iran. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: Protesters retake Bahrain square

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: AlJazeera

19February2011 10:08amEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: Thousands of anti-government protesters have reoccupied their former stronghold in the capital, Manama, after troops and riot police retreated from the Pearl roundabout in the centre of the city.

The cheering protesters carrying Bahraini flags, flowers and signs that said "Peaceful, peaceful" marched to the square on Saturday. They chanted, "We are victorious".

Protesters kissed the ground in joy and took pictures of about 60 police vehicles leaving the area.

Sheikh Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, the crown prince, had earlier in the day ordered the military to withdraw, saying that the police would now be responsible for enforcing order, the Bahrain News Agency reported.

Soon after the crown prince's directive, protesters had attempted to stream back to the roundabout, but were beaten back by the police. According to the Reuters news agency, about 80 protesters were taken to a hospital after being hit by rubber bullets or tear gas.

The protesters, however, were successful in the next attempt, when the riot police withdrew from the traffic circle as well. (read full report)

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.

GCIS INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING: Saudis ready to aid Bahraini ruler. First riots in Libya after Yemen, Jordan

ISSUED BY: GCIS Communications Command Center

SOURCE: DEBKAfile

16February2011 7:52amEST

GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE: Despite security police efforts to dislodge them, anti-government protesters continued to occupy the main square of Manama, Bahrain Tuesday night, Feb. 15, even after its ruler, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa made a rare television appearance to regret the two deaths and promised a full investigation.

Wednesday, first protests were reported in Libya, starting in Benghazi, where eyewitnesses report
police responded to stone-throwers with water cannon, tear gas and rubber bullets.

In Yemen, security forces stayed on alert after five days of disturbances by protesters demanding President Ali Abdullah Saleh's removal from power although he promised not to run again when his term ends in 2013. Wednesday saw, security forces in Jordan and the army in Syria on high alert.

Saudi Arabia is especially alarmed by the swelling protest in its small but strategic neighbor, Bahrain, site of US Fifth Fleet headquarters for the Gulf region. For the first time, Sunni Muslims joined the majority Shiite protest against the rule of the Al Khalifas who have been in power since 1971.

DEBKAfile discloses that shortly before dawn Wednesday, Feb. 16, the Bahraini king secretly asked the Saudis for riot dispersal gear for his security forces to break up the protests. He also asked Saudi Arabia to place its security forces on the ready in case they got out of hand. (read full report)

 

 

 

"GCIS INTELLIGENCE UPDATE" is an intelligence briefing presented by Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, and provided to the public for informative purposes only. All subject matter is credited to it's source of origin, and is not intended to represent original content authored by GCIS, it's partners or affiliates. All opinions presented are those of the author, and not necessarily those of GCIS or it's partners.