Bahrainis protest opening Iraq embassy

Manama: A member of a hard-line Sunni movement in Bahrain says protesters opposed to opening an embassy in Baghdad carried posters of Osama Bin Laden, burned American flags and chopped off the head of a US soldier's effigy at a demonstration.

At least 80 Bahrainis protested in the capital Manama on Saturday, waving banners for militant groups fighting in Iraq, including Al Qaida.

Abdullah Hashem, spokesman Al Adalah which led the demonstration, called on Bahraini authorities not to reopen an embassy in Baghdad. He said Iraq was not a sovereign country yet because it was under US occupation.

US and Iraqi officials have stepped up pressure recently on Arab countries to commit to opening embassies in Baghdad.