Bahrain King Declared Martial Law

Bahrain’s King Hamad declared martial law on Tuesday as two died in fresh violence and Iran condemned an intervention by Saudi-led Gulf troops to help put down Shia-led protests.
The three-month state of emergency will hand wholesale power to Bahrain‘s security forces, which are dominated by the Sunni Muslim elite, stoking sectarian tensions in one of the Gulf’s most politically volatile nations. At least 200 people were shot and wounded on Tuesday in a Shia village south of the Bahraini capital, a medic said.
As violence escalated, close ally the United States warned that there was “no military solution” to political upheaval in Bahrain and that any violence against peacefully expressed political demands “should be stopped.” “More than 200 people we received today had been shot with buckshot,” a hospital doctor in the village of Sitra, south of the capital, told reporter by telephone.
The doctor, who asked that his name not be used, said the hospital was under siege by armed gangs and security forces targeting Shias the backbone of anti-regime protests that have raged for a month. Neighboring Iran condemned Monday’s intervention by Saudi-led Gulf troops to help put down the protests, prompting Manama to recall its ambassador.
Thousands of protesters marched to the Saudi embassy, chanting slogans against the king and vowing to defend the country from the “occupation” forces, as unrest in the tiny country became a regional diplomatic crisis.
The financial district of Manama, a regional banking hub was deserted for a third day except for anti-government protesters.
Sunni and Shia vigilantes were on the streets in various parts of the capital and in rural villages.