WASHINGTON: The United States has lifted a ban on security assistance to Bahrain, withheld since 2011 when the Gulf state put down mass Shia protests.

“The administration has decided to lift the holds on security assistance to the Bahrain Defence Force and National Guard,” said US State Department spokesman John Kirby. “The government of Bahrain has made some meaningful progress on human rights reforms and reconciliation.”

Mr Kirby, however, acknowledged that the human rights situation in Bahrain was not adequate but argued that “it’s important to recognise” the progress made so far.

Bahrain is home to the US Navy’s Fifth fleet and has also participated in air strike missions over Syria as part of the US-led coalition against militants of the self-styled Islamic State group.

Mr Kirby also underlined Bahrain’s strategic importance for the US as “an important and longstanding ally”. He noted that Bahrain was not only working closely with the US on the counter-IS campaign but was also providing logistical and operational support for countering terrorism and maintaining freedom of navigation.

He said that all arms transfers to Bahrain would continue to undergo review under the US Conventional Arms Transfer Policy, as do arms transfers to any country.

But the US official did not give details of the security assistance that the United States would now provide to Bahrain.

Mr Kirby said that releasing security assistance did not mean the US was satisfied with the human rights situation in Bahrain.

“We will continue to press Bahrain on our human rights concerns,” said Mr Kirby, adding that the annual US human rights report, released last week, had also highlighted violations in the Gulf state.

But the assurance did not satisfy human rights activists. The US-based Human Rights Watch said the decision to lift the ban was taken without any “real or meaningful political reform” in Bahrain.

The statement noted that Bahrain continued to crack down on opposition figures, including Sheikh Ali Salman, secretary general of the Shia opposition party Al Wefaq, who was recently sentenced to prison.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2015

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