A Bahraini opposition group has denounced the presence of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf kingdom, stressing that the huge US naval base there must be disbanded and military forces fully withdrawn.
“One of the most important functions and missions of the US military base is to preserve the Al Khalifah dynasty, which serves them in Bahrain. The base has trained Jordanian, Pakistani, Syrian and Yemeni mercenaries on how to suppress the uprising People’s Republic of Bahrain which began in mid-February 2011,” the Youth Coalition for the February 14 Revolution said in a statement.
The opposition group pointed out that Bahrain, following the Manama regime’s normalization of relations with Israel in September 2020, has become a haven for espionage as well as a prominent center for reconnaissance and intelligence activities. espionage against Iran and resistance groups.
The Bahraini movement demanded the dismantling of the US Navy base at Juffair, located 8 kilometers (five miles) southeast of Manama, in addition to the expulsion of all US and Israeli officers, security advisers and military.
“The problem today is not Iran’s nuclear program, but rather Iran’s geopolitical position and the revolutionary threat it poses to imperialism, Zionism and Arab sectarianism, as well as its unwavering support to the Palestinian cause and Palestinian, Lebanese, Iraqi and Yemeni resistance factions,” the statement also read.
The Youth Coalition for the February 14 Revolution finally called on “all freedom-loving and honorable people in the Muslim world and around the world to explore all available avenues, offer their support and adopt principled positions in order to dissolve the American base based in Bahrain.
Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim, Bahrain’s top cleric, said drafting a new constitution was the only way out of the political crisis in the small Persian Gulf country hit by protests, urging the regime of Manama to seek an agreement with the Bahraini opposition instead of increasingly suppressing dissent.
Demonstrations have taken place regularly in Bahrain since the start of a popular uprising in mid-February 2011.
The participants demand that the Al Khalifah regime relinquish power and allow the establishment of a just system representing all Bahrainis.
Manama, however, went to great lengths to suppress any sign of dissent.
