Saudi Arabia has started withdrawing its forces gradually from Bahrain, considering that the situation is no longer threatening and the Bahraini forces are capable of taking over the situation.

Saudi Arabia has started withdrawing its forces gradually from Bahrain, considering that the situation is no longer threatening and the Bahraini forces are capable of taking over the situation.

Reuters news agency quoted a Bahraini government source as saying that Saudi Arabia, that has dispatched its forces to Bahrain to assist the local forces in squashing peaceful Bahraini demonstrations, will withdraw most of its security forces.

The source pointed out that “the Saudi troops -that have been in Bahrain since March-   will be withdrawn starting Monday because their situation is getting much calmer."

Another Saudi source told AFP that “it is normal to redeploy the Peninsula Shield force but the danger is not over yet and these forces will neither return to their bases nor entirely withdraw.”

Director of Research and Development at Middle East think tank INEGMA, Theodore Karasik, considered that “the drawdown of Saudi troops from Bahrain signals that the Bahraini forces and police can now secure the situation on their own.”

He indicated that “Bahrain had managed to beef up its forces over the past couple of months.”

Bahrain’s protests took off along with the Egyptian, Libyan, and Yemeni demonstrations. However, the peaceful protestors in Bahrain were responded to by assaults, killings, arrests, and death statements, in addition to complete black out by international media and accusations of having “regional agenda”.