GCC troops enter Bahrain as protests spread

Troops from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, mainly from neighbouring Saudi Arabia, started arriving in strife-torn Bahrain as the massive street protests showed signs of escalating.

The Saudi state news agency said the government had responded to Bahrain's request for help in view of the importance of security in the financially important Gulf state.

The arrival of GCC forces follows protests that left over 1,000 people injured in clashes with security forces in a single day.

According to foreign minister Khalid al-Khalifa the demonstrations were not peaceful. "What we are witnessing in Manama is no peaceful protest. ... It's wanton, gangster style takeover of people's lives," he said on Twitter.

Protests on Sunday, which were among the most violent since police tried to clear the capital's Pearl Roundabout in February, left seven people dead, according to demonstrators.

The troop movement follows the GCC foreign ministers' decision at their recent meeting that security in the GCC is a collective responsibility.