‘UK troops training Bahraini snipers’ amid regime crackdown
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Riot police run toward protesters to break up an anti-regime march in Daih, Bahrain, February 13, 2016. (Photo by AP)
British forces are providing training to Bahrain’s armed forces on using sniper rifles, a report says, amid Manama’s heavy-handed crackdown on peaceful anti-regime protests.
Elite troops from the Royal Navy’s 43 Commando Fleet Protection Group are running week-long training courses for Bahraini soldiers, the British daily The Independent has reported.
The most recent military training session took place in January during a visit by British special commandos to the tiny Persian Gulf state, according to the report.
The training was provided on board the Royal Navy frigate HMS St Albans, which docked at HMS Juffair, Britain’s naval base in Bahrain.
UK forces trained “multiple groups” of Bahraini personnel and were “awarded” Bahraini sniper badges in return.
Bahraini authorities have demanded that the elite snipers return to provide military training for new recruits.
London has been a staunch ally of the Ale Khlifa regime. The UK government has approved more than 45 million pounds (63.5 million dollars) worth of arms sales to Manama since the 2011 popular uprising inside Bahrain against the regime.
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