Bahrain Security Forces Raid Square, Killing Four

Army and police staged a pre-dawn assault on anti-government protesters’ camp in Manama’s Pearl Square.

Wary that Pearl Square would become Bahrain’s version of Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the Bahraini government was determined to wrest control of it from protesters who had occupied it since Tuesday night. As many demonstrators lay sleeping, police officers wielding clubs and firing tear gas descended on the square, sparking violent clashes that reportedly left four people dead. Bahrain’s Shiite majority have long complained that they are discriminated against by the island nation’s Sunni monarchy, which has ruled the country for 200 years and controls key government appointments. Bahrainis emboldened by successful protests in Egypt and Tunisia began unprecedented protests on Monday. Funerals in coming days for those killed in Pearl Square could be major flashpoints for unrest.