Email
The Egyptian army intervened this morning in a belated attempt to end the violence that flared overnight in central Cairo as supporters of President Hosni Mubarak attacked anti-government protesters.
A small group of soldiers cleared about 1,000 pro-government loyalists from a flyover in Tahrir Square, where they had been throwing stones at anti-government protesters below. It was not immediately clear if the steps were part of a wider decision for the army to begin protecting the demonstrations.
The intervention came as a retired Egyptian army general told the BBC the military was losing patience with the embattled Mubarak, and would open fire at regime loyalists if there were fresh attacks on protesters.
The general, who said he had spoken with tank crews in Tahrir Square, said he believed the military would move very soon against the president, possibly as soon as tomorrow.
The moves came after a dramatic night of fighting on streets and rooftops around Tahrir Square and the Egyptian museum. Pro-democracy protesters succeeded in holding Tahrir, their main rallying point throughout the 10-day uprising, but about 1,000 pro-Mubarak militants continued to mass on the flyover.
At about 9.50am local time, however, a group of soldiers appeared on the bridge, and cleared the pro-Mubarak crowd. One warning shot was fired, but most of the loyalists left after speaking with the soldiers.
An army tank was parked where the crowd had been and four other tanks took up position between the pro-Mubarak forces and the largest group of anti-government demonstrators at the north end of the square near the Egyptian museum.
Even though the two sides had been separated, crowds of Mubarak supporters – some carrying bricks – were still trying to reach the square.
Local news channels reported that four had been killed in last night's clashes, but doctors on the ground told the Guardian the death toll was higher.
Witnesses who spent the night in Tahrir said there were major shooting incidents at 11pm and 4am, the latter involving a sniper equipped with a laser sight. Seven protesters were reported to be confirmed dead at a nearby makeshift medical centre, with three other bodies unrecovered.
"We had over 1,000 injured through the night, including several dead from gunshots," said Dr Ibrahim Fata, a professor of surgery and one of more than 70 doctors who have volunteered to help treat those injured at the square. "It's like a war situation in here; some of the pro-change resistance did not bring their wounded to us because they didn't want to leave their positions. I haven't slept in the last day and a half."
As Fata was speaking the Guardian witnessed a man with a broken spine being brought in on a corrugated iron stretcher, while others walked around in bandages. Some protesters had taped cardboard boxes to their heads to serve as crude helmets.
The shootings came after protesters seeking an end to Mubarak's three-decade dictatorship were attacked yesterday by supporters of the Egyptian leader, many of whom were carrying police identification. Molotov cocktails were thrown from buildings and several fires burned through the night.
This morning some sections of the road were so littered with debris and ripped up by those seeking rocks to throw that they are now impassable. But organisation among the pro-change forces remains strong, with groups cooking breakfast over fires and handing out food to the crowds.
"Where have you been, this government is killing us," appealed Wael Abdel Aziz, a pharmacist camped out in Tahrir. A second man, who would give his name only as Osama, added: "Mubarak decided to kill the Egyptian people. He is treating us like insects, trying to crush us."
;