29-03-2024 05:15 PM Jerusalem Timing

US Resumes Arms Supply to Bahrain, Regime Persists on Escalation

US Resumes Arms Supply to Bahrain, Regime Persists on Escalation

US announced it would resume sales of military supplies to the Bahrain, as the regime was going on with its crackdown against pro-democracy protesters.

US announced it would resume sales of military supplies to the Bahrain, as the regime was going on with its crackdown against pro-democracy protesters.

bahrain prince clinton
Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa meets Clinton in US visit

“We have made the decision to release additional items to Bahrain mindful of the fact that there are a number of serious unresolved human rights issues that the government of Bahrain needs to address,” US State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland announced in a statement issued on Friday.

Most of these shipments were frozen last year in response to the kingdom’s crackdown on protesters, but the US will now proceed with deliveries of certain weaponry, such as Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM), ammunition, upgraded F-16 jet engines, harbor boats, and a frigate.

The announcement came amid a visit to the United States by Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who met with Vice President Joe Biden here on Friday and with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday, AFP reported.
Earlier on Tuesday, the regime threatened it would escalate repression measures against protesters.

REGIME ATTACKS PROTESTERS
Meanwhile, Bahraini regime forces had attacked protesters in several towns and villages around the capital, Manama.

The protesters late on Friday called for the downfall of the Al Khalifa regime and the release of jailed opposition activists, on the top the rights activists Abdulhadi Khawaja, who has been since February 8 on a hunger strike, and Nabeel Rajab, who was arrested as he arrived Manama from Beirut last Saturday.

The regime forces fired tear gas and birdshot to disperse the demonstrators during overnight protest, AFP reported.

Several protesters were wounded during the protest but the injured could not be shifted to hospital for treatment for fear that police would arrest them.

Human rights activists say that government thugs dressed in plain clothes were present as police crushed the protests, according to Press TV.