Military troops and police moved against thousands of anti-government protesters occupying a landmark square in Bahrain's capital after the king declared a three-month state of emergency and instructed the military to battle unrest in the strategic nation.
Police and military units fired tear gas and began pushing into Pearl Square after daylight Wednesday. Shooting was heard, but there was no immediate word on casualties.
On Tuesday, at least two civilians and a soldier were reported killed when clashes erupted across the island nation. The king had imposed the state of emergency as sectarian strife deepened, inflaming tensions between the region's largest rivals, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
After the declaration of martial law by King Hamed ibn Isa Khalifa, Bahrain's armed forces said they were launching a "crackdown on lawbreakers," implying in a statement that they would move against the protesters, predominantly Shiite Muslims, who have occupied areas of the capital, Manama, and all but paralyzed the country.
A day earlier, Saudi Arabia sent forces to help quell the growing unrest.
It was unclear what specific role the Saudi troops and police units from the United Arab Emirates would play in the effort to quell the protests.
Bahraini television showed a second convoy of military vehicles entering the country late Monday, driving across the 16-mile causeway that links the two Sunni Muslim-ruled nations.
There were reports Tuesday that violence had flared outside the capital, in the predominantly Shiite Muslim area of Sitra and other suburban neighborhoods and villages. At least two deaths were reported in the clashes; as many as 200 were injured.
The Associated Press reported that a Saudi sergeant had been shot and killed by a protester in Sitra, according to Saudi security officials. The report could not be immediately confirmed.
The Saudi involvement, however, highlighted how a conflict that began over local grievances was evolving into a contest between Saudi Arabia and Shiite-run Iran for influence in Bahrain, which has a majority Shiite population. The growing regional tussling over Bahrain also has implications for the United States, which has a major military presence on the island, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.
Iran stepped up its denunciation of Saudi Arabia's move to shore up Bahrain's monarchy.
