Troops from the Gulf Cooperation Council, including soldiers from Saudi Arabia, moved into Bahrain, a lawmaker said, after more than a month of political unrest in the island nation.
The first contingent of GCC forces entered the country to protect "vital installations in Bahrain and maintain stability and security," Jamal Fakhro, the first deputy chairman of the Bahrain Shura Council, said yesterday in a telephone interview.
Al-Watan newspaper earlier reported some Saudi troops reached Bahrain last night and more from other Gulf countries would follow. It didn't say how it obtained the information.
Mainly Shiite protesters have been demonstrating since February 14 for free elections and political change, inspired by movements that have swept the region in the past two months and unseated longtime rulers in Tunisia and Egypt. Many Shiites say they face discrimination over jobs and housing from the ruling Al Khalifa family, which is Sunni, and their supporters. Shiite's comprise as much as 70 percent of the population.