Bahraini protesters torch US flag

Bahraini activists staged protests rallies in several cities in the Persian Gulf kingdom on Friday, showing their rage with what they see as Washington’s involvement in the regime crackdown on popular protests. 

The United States has come under mounting criticism for providing Bahrain, which serves as the base to the US Fifth Fleet, with lethal weapons to be used against anti-regime protesters 

In Mamma, protesters staged demonstrations in different areas after the Friday Prayers, calling on the Saudi-backed regime to put an end to its brutal repression of popular protests. 

Meanwhile, activists said they managed to drive out regime forces from the main square of the town of Nuwaidrat, just outside Manama. 

Bahrain has been in a revolution since mid-February when massive popular protests erupted in the country, encouraged by the popular 2011 revolutions that toppled decades-long dictatorships in Tunisia and Egypt. 

The Bahraini government launched a brutal crackdown on peaceful protests, and called in Saudi-led Arab forces from neighboring Persian Gulf states. 

Dozens of people have been killed in the crackdown while the security forces have arrested hundreds of others, including doctors and nurses accused of treating injured revolutionaries. 

A report published by an independent committee in November found the Al Khalifa regime used excessive force and accused Manama of torturing political activists, politicians, and protesters. 

On Thursday, the Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS) called on Interior Ministry Inspector General Ibrahim Habib al-Ghaith for an unannounced visit to prisons amid mounting complaints about torture against anti-regime protesters.