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King of Bahrain declares state of emergency
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March 16, 2011
Original URL: http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/King_of_Bahrain_declares_state_of_emergency



A state of emergency was declared in Bahrain on Tuesday by the king as
protests in the country escalated further, leaving at least two dead.

The declaration was announced on state television, and "authorized the
commander of Bahrain's defense forces to take all necessary measures to
protect the safety of the country and its citizens." The state of
emergency will last for three months.

Further protests took place Tuesday in both the capitol of  and the
nearby city of . Two people were reported to have died, one of whom was
part of the Bahraini security force. These deaths come in addition to
seven people killed since the protests began in February.  Protesters
have reportedly blocked all roads into the main financial center in the
capitol, and number in the tens of thousands in Manama alone. Marches
took place near the Saudi Arabian embassy, with protesters wearing masks
as a defense against tear gas.

According to a doctor near the fighting, there are "many, many
casualties ... People are coming in with bullet wounds and injuries
caused by rubber bullets ... We received one major case -- a man whose
skull had been split open by something."  One protester said that
security personnel "started attacking the villages and the towns. If
there is anybody in the road they will shoot them. If there is nobody in
the road they will enter the houses."

The declaration comes one day after other Middle Eastern countries sent
troops into Bahrain at the request of the Bahraini government.

== Related news ==
* 
== Sources == 

* http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12745608
* http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/03/20113151296156152.html



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