Police use ear-splitting tactics on protesters

Riot police use teargas and sound grenades to break up an anti-government protest in Bahrain.

The confrontation came Friday in Manama, the capital of the tiny Gulf kingdom, which has been wracked by months of political turmoil.

By the time the smoke cleared, police had arrested several female activists.

The demonstration, declared illegal by Bahrain's leaders, was the latest in a string of clashes between protesters and police.

Last week, tens of thousands marched outside Manama in a protest organized by opposition groups.

Largely Shi'ite Muslim demonstrators have for months been calling for more political freedoms in kingdom, ruled by the Sunni Muslim Al Khalifa family.