Sunday, August 18, 2013
EGYPT CRACKDOWN
Sunday, August 18, 2013 by DXTR corporation
Mosque at center of Egypt protests secured
By Reza Sayah and Mariano Castillo, CNN
August 17, 2013 -- Updated 1801 GMT (0201 HKT)
A military helicopter flies above demonstrators in Cairo on August 16.
HIDE CAPTION
Egypt protests
- NEW: Al-Fateh mosque has been secured and cleared
- Government: 'We are facing war waged by extreme forces'
- More protesters leave mosque as security forces escort a group of women
- State TV reports more than 1,000 Muslim Brotherhood members arrested
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Cairo (CNN) -- Egyptian forces secured and cleared a
Cairo mosque that had become the epicenter of Saturday's confrontations
between protesters and the military, interior ministry spokesman Hani
Abdel-Latif said.
Hundreds of supporters of
deposed President Mohamed Morsy had been holed up in the Al-Fateh
mosque in central Cairo since overnight.
Without food or medical
supplies, but fearful of reprisals if they walked out, the protesters
earlier rebuffed the military's request for them to clear the building.
The situation escalated as security forces fired at the mosque's
minaret, claiming there were snipers firing at them.
In the end, the security forces were successful in securing the place.
The clashes at the mosque had threatened to pull Egypt into another day of widespread violence on Saturday.
Political unrest preceded
the military coup that ousted Morsy, and his supporters have held
massive rallies against the interim government and its supporters.
Both sides blame each other for instigating violence.
Clashes, gunfire outside Cairo mosque
"We are not facing a
political struggle," interim presidential adviser Mustapha Higazi said.
"We are facing war waged by extreme forces."
The spokesman referred to the protesters as terrorists and warned that "what we see in the streets will not be accepted."
Impact if US suspends aid to Egypt
The government urged pro-Morsy protesters to "come to their senses" and unite Egyptians.
"We express our deepest sorrow and offer our condolences to those who have their blood spilled," Higazi said.
At least 173 people have been killed across the country since Friday's mass protests began, the government said.
It was an especially
bloody week in Egypt, as the interim government put in place by a
military coup seeks to restore stability to the country while Morsy
supporters fight to restore the democratically elected former president
to power.
With no end to the
clashes in sight, the pressure on the international community to act
increases, raising questions about aid and diplomacy in North Africa and
the Middle East.
The government stepped
up its rhetoric Saturday, blaming the protestors -- particularly those
affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood -- of attacking police stations,
churches and civilians.
The future of the Muslim Brotherhood and others will be subject to evaluations regarding their legal status, Higazi said.
Members of the Muslim
Brotherhood who have not been involved in violence and who would like to
"join the peaceful Egyptian march toward the future" would be welcomed,
but others will face the law, he said.
"We are not in the
effort of dissolving anyone, or preventing anyone from being active in
the public domain, but are trying to make sure everyone is legalized
according to Egyptian law," he added.
The interim government spokesman also accused the international media of bias and telling an incomplete story.
Inside the Al-Fateh mosque
Hundreds of protesters
defied a government-imposed curfew Friday night and stood fast at Ramses
Square. The government had warned that those breaking curfew would be
dealt with "firmly."
But security forces
appear to have acted with restraint overnight, when 1,000 people
reportedly took refuge inside the mosque located on the square.
During clashes on Friday
-- which protesters had dubbed "a day of anger" -- the building had
served as a makeshift morgue and field hospital for the pro-Morsy
protesters.
The military offered to
provide safe passage out for those inside the mosque, but the protesters
said they feared that they would be attacked by pro-government
supporters aligned with the military who were also outside the mosque.
The military told the
protesters inside the mosque that they would be taken to an unspecified
location, said Hanan Amin, a doctor who spoke with CNN from inside the
mosque.
Without water and food,
and distrustful of the military forces outside the building, those who
remained inside said they felt like hostages.
"We want to go home in a very polite way," Amin said. "It's a shame for our military persons to deal with our people like this."
A son of Muslim
Brotherhood spiritual leader Mohamed Badie was killed Friday during a
protest near the mosque, said the Brotherhood's political wing, the
Freedom and Justice party. Ammar Badie, 38, was shot in his neck and
head.
More violence
Elsewhere in Cairo, the military engaged Friday night in battles with roving bands of armed protesters, state media reported.
Helicopters circled
overhead, and there were reports that protesters were trying to shoot
them down. Smoke wafted through Ramses Square from a fire that engulfed a
nearby commercial building. It was unclear what caused the fire.
Death counts continued
to rise in the confrontation that began Wednesday when an estimated 580
people were killed and 4,000 wounded as the military forced pro-Morsy
protesters out of encampments in Cairo.
There was no apparent
progress toward a political resolution to the crisis. An umbrella group
for opponents of the military government called for daily demonstrations
next week.
The casualties have not
been limited to Morsy supporters and security forces. A number of
bystanders, residents and journalists have been killed.
In northern Egypt, at
least 25 people were killed and 171 wounded in fighting Friday between
Morsy supporters and the military in the coastal city of Alexandria, a
government spokesman said Saturday.
The Interior Ministry
said 1,004 Muslim Brotherhood members were arrested Friday across Egypt.
State-run Nile TV reported Brotherhood members were charged with
rioting and creating violence. Authorities seized seven hand grenades,
five automatic weapons, pistols and 710 rounds of ammunition, state
media said.
French President
Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for a
meeting next week of European Union foreign ministers to coordinate a
response.
U.S. President Barack
Obama condemned the crackdown by security forces Thursday and canceled
scheduled joint exercises by the U.S. and Egyptian military.
Obama received a briefing on Egypt on Saturday, a senior administration official told CNN.
Obama has declined to label Morsy's ouster by the military a coup, a declaration that would stop U.S. military aid to Egypt.
Source: CNN News International
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