Gulf force to stay despite end of Bahrain emergency

A joint Gulf security force deployed to Bahrain in mid-March to back up the kingdom's security forces will stay on despite the end of the state of emergency, Bahrain's military chief said in an interview. "The Peninsula Shield force will remain (in Bahrain) until its presence is no longer necessary," Sheikh Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Khalifa told the Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awsat daily. "The presence of this force, its numbers or a reduction in its numbers will be determined depending on the circumstances," he said, without giving a more specific timetable for the departure of the force, which is mainly made up of Saudi and Emirati troops. The Gulf troops freed up the security forces of the Shiite-majority, Sunni-ruled kingdom to crush Shiite-led pro-reform protests that had begun in mid-February. Bahrain's king ordered the lifting on Wednesday of the state of emergency that went into effect on March 15 during the crackdown. Iran strongly opposed the military intervention, leading to the further degradation of already tense relations with its neighbours across the Gulf. From Middle east online