(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - On Thursday, clashes broke out in the small town of Diraz, northwest of Manama, after security forces fired tear gas at the protesters who were calling for the downfall of the ruling Al Khalifa regime and the release of political prisoners.

The protesters also condemned the Saudi-backed clampdown on the demonstrators.

One protester was reportedly injured in the violence.

Security forces also attacked protesters in the eastern town of Sitra and in Saar, a village a few kilometers west of the capital.

On March 14, 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates invaded Bahrain to assist the government in Manama to quash peaceful protests in the country.

The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry said in late November that the regime had used “excessive force” in handling demonstrations.

The commission urged the Bahraini government to revise verdicts handed down to protesters in military courts, and to set up a compensation fund for victims.

Dozens of anti-regime protesters have been killed since the outbreak of the revolution last February. Hundreds more have been detained, including doctors and nurses who have been accused of treating the injured demonstrators.

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