DUBAI: Five Bahraini police were wounded late on Saturday as security forces clashed with opposition protesters in a Shia village north of the capital, police said.
The injuries were inflicted by a “group of terrorists” at the entrance to the village of Dair with a “home-made explosive device,” a statement carried by the official BNA news agency said.
Police in the Sunni-ruled Shia-majority Gulf state routinely refer to opposition protesters as terrorists.
The authorities crushed mass pro-democracy demonstrations in the capital with the help of Saudi-led troops in 2011 but sporadic protests have continued in the Shia villages.
Protesters generally burn tyres and throw petrol bombs, but authorities say that recently there have also been some shootings and bombings targeting police stations and patrols.
Witnesses said security forces cordoned off Dair after Saturday night’s clashes, raiding several houses and making some arrests.
There were also clashes in several other Shia villages.
AFP
