Posted on 03/01/2011 5:35:17 AM PST by BossLady
Saudi Arabia has sent dozens of tanks to Bahrain, where anti-government protests continue for about two weeks, Egypt's Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper said on Tuesday.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing "15 tank carriers carrying two tanks each heading towards Bahrain" along the 25-km King Fahd causeway, which links the small island nation of Bahrain to Saudi Arabia.
Protestors are mainly Shiites account for about 70% of the Bahraini population, but have long complained of discrimination and other abuses by the Sunni Khalifa dynasty that has ruled the tiny Gulf nation for more than two centuries.
In the worst unrest in the kingdom since the 1990s, a wave of protests swept across Bahrain in the past weeks. At least six people were killed and hundreds injured in clashes with police.
Opposition threatens to hold more protests and a nationwide strike if the government refuses to resign.
Opposition threatens to hold more protests and a nationwide strike if the government refuses to resign.
Resign for what?
Being Sunni?
wwid [what will iran do] ???
Eyewitnesses: 30 tanks spotted en route to Bahrain from Saudi Arabia
http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/news/eyewitnesses-30-tanks-spotted-en-route-bahrain-saudi-arabia
"The presence of Saudi military hardware in Bahrain is considered highly unusual."
"The development comes on the eve of yet another scheduled anti-government demonstration organized by the Bahraini opposition and protesters in Manama's Pearl Roundabout."
"Fears of Saudi intervention in the ongoing Bahraini uprising first came to the fore last week when unconfirmed reports emerged on Wednesday that Saudi officials had told US authorities that they were "prepared to intervene" in Bahrain should such a move prove necessary to protect Bahrain's embattled government."
"Tomorrow's mass protest will be the first to take place since the arrival to the country of controversial Shia opposition leader Hassan Mosheima from self-imposed exile."
"Mosheima arrived on Saturday, using his first speech to call for national unity and to urge protesters to step up demands for the ouster of Bahrain's prime minister of 40 years, Sheikh Khalifa Al Khalifa."
FYI
The map is sobering. To Saudi Arabia's north are Jordan, Syria and Iraq -- stable only for the moment, and across the Persian Gulf to the east is Iran itself. The tiny and weak Gulf emirates are along Saudi Arabia's eastern coast, and on its southern border boils the seething population of Yemen. And for good measure, Egypt and Sudan sit just across the Red Sea to the west.
Saudi Arabia is surrounded, and its peaceful days appear to be numbered. Iran is busy ushering the return of the Mahdi...
If Obama intervenes in Libya I wonder if the Saudis will slow the Oil Supply? I think Obama would like that so the Crats can have something to blame the Depression on.
“Resign for what?
Being Sunni?”
Essentially. And selling oil to the West, and letting women show one square inch of skin (rather than zero).
Seems like good reasons for us to AGAIN throw our chips with the opposition...LOL.
Shiites attempting to overthrow their Sunni overlords. If the Bahraini government really brings out the big guns how long before Iran starts making threats?
True. We know the Iranian leadership feels chaos is required to hasten the Mahdi’s return. It wouldn’t be surprising if they used the “defense of their Shia brothers” as an excuse to cause trouble. I can’t imagine what oil prices would be if Iran and Saudi Arabia clashed.
Sure looks that way...
Not only that, but Bahrain is home to the primary US Naval base in the Persian Gulf. Denying use of those facilities to the US Navy would be a major strategic coup for Iran.
I’m not sure if we have the wherewithal to maintain NSA Bahrain in Guantanamo-like isolation should a hostile regime take control. Even if we could, its strategic value would probably be greatly diminished, due to the increased logistical burden of maintaining it, the need to be prepared to defend it from land attack at any time, and the number of hostile eyes on the base that can report movements to Iran (which I’d bet has always been a problem).
All of these uprisings are Shite driven. These are the prople who want to bring Sharia Law to the west.
The Sunni are not much better, but they are at least pragmatic in understanding that western culture offers some good things.
Let’s hope the Middle East is aflame and these two groups go about killing each other for many more years.
We’ve still got Diego Garcia. A longer haul but it can be done.
Of course a navy is useless if the person in charge doesn’t have the balls to use it.
Our news media is so agenda driven, making stuff up or re-writing stuff to suit their own nefarious purposes, its hard to believe what's the real story anymore.
Of course Saudi Arabia is going to defend Bahrain. If Bahrain falls and becomes a caliphate, where would all the Saudis go for their prostitution and gambling pleasures? Not to mention the Sailors of the Fifth fleet.
He has the balls to use it. What worries me is what he will use it FOR.
Your comment is the first one I can remember seeing that has hit on this issue and I've been keeping an eye out in the news and such for any such mention. That was one of the first things I thought when the media started inferring that Iran's influences could be behind all these "Days of Rage" protests in Tunesia, Egypt, Libya, et.al. I've yet to see an article that has tried to advance this position.
There were many articles in recent year's past quoting Ahmadenijad admitting that he saw his role being to create chaos to hasten the appearance of their "al-Mahdi", yet, now when all indications point to subversive influences causing these riots having possible Iranian ties, no one in the media is willing to raise the issue publically as to whether this is all happening according to Ahmadenijad's plan.
Things were so much easier when Alec Guinness was King...
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