MANAMA, Bahrain — Soldiers and riot police in Bahrain overran a protesters’ camp, imposed a 12-hour curfew and choked off movement nationwide Wednesday. Witnesses described helicopters firing on homes in a hunt for Shiites and attacking doctors treating the wounded, while the government called the demonstrators “outlaws” for demanding an end to the monarchy.
The nation that once led the Middle East in entrepreneurial openness went into lockdown, its government propped up by troops from Sunni gulf neighbors fearful for their own rule and the spread of Shiite Iran’s influence.
The unrest that began last month increasingly looks like a sectarian showdown. The country’s Sunni leaders are desperate to hold power, and the majority Shiites want more rights and an end to the monarchy.
Wednesday’s assault began in Pearl Square, the center of the uprising inspired by Arab revolts in Egypt and Tunisia. But the violence that left at least five people dead Wednesday did not stop in the capital.
Doctors at the country’s main hospital said their facility was taken over by security forces, blocking physicians from either leaving or treating the wounded on the scene.
“There are many people injured, but we can’t bring them to the hospital because of the travel restrictions, and doctors can’t come to us,” said Ali Marsouk, a resident of the Shiite village of Sitra, who said helicopters fired on homes in a three-hour attack.
Rania Ali, another resident, said police were charging after Shiites as they sought shelter. “I saw them chasing Shiites like they were hunting,” said Ali, a Sunni whose husband is Shiite.
The Salmaniya Hospital complex has become a political hot spot. The mostly Shiite personnel are seen by authorities as possible protest sympathizers. Staff members claim they must treat all who need care.
There have been moments of open anger. As overwhelmed teams treated the injured from Tuesday’s clashes, many broke out in calls to topple the monarchy.
“We are under siege,” said Nihad el-Shirawi, an intensive-care doctor who said she had been working for 48 hours. “We cannot leave, and those on-call cannot come in.”
Officials in the hospital said they took in 107 injured from Wednesday’s violence. Nine were in critical condition, officials in the hospital said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters. The Salmaniya Hospital also treated 322 people injured in clashes across the kingdom Tuesday, the official said.
The king’s announcement of three months’ emergency rule and the crackdown on Pearl Square sent a message that authorities will strike back in the strategic island nation, which hosts the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.
U.S. President Barack Obama called King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to express deep concern over the violence. White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama stressed the need for “maximum restraint.”
Security forces barred journalists and others from moving freely. A 4 p.m to 4 a.m. curfew was imposed in most of the country.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called the introduction of gulf forces “the wrong track.”
