Bahrain police clash with protesters

Saudi-backed Bahraini police have clashed with peaceful protesters who are demanding an end to the decades-long rule of the Al Khalifa regime in the country. The clashes took place on Wednesday night in the village of Nuwaidrat where young men and women staged a protest rally to demand the downfall of the Al Khalifah regime, witnesses said. Saudi-backed police forces resorted to firing tear gas to disperse demonstrators after more people joined the protesters chanting anti-regime slogans. Male protesters were wearing masks to avoid being identified by the police. Nuwaidrat was not the only village in Bahrain to see overnight anti-regime protests. Demonstrators in the village of Sanabis also took to the streets on Wednesday, chanting slogans against the rule of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. A separate demonstration also took place in the village of Dair. Bahrainis have been holding anti-government rallies since mid-February, demanding the Al Khalifa dynasty to release its four-decade grip on power in the Persian Gulf country. Scores of people have been killed, many under torture in prison, and hundreds more have been arrested in a brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters in Bahrain, home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet. In March, a number of Persian Gulf Arab states, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, deployed military forces to Bahrain in an attempt to assist Manama quell peaceful protests.