Troops backed by armored vehicles and hundreds of riot police fired shots in the air and used clubs Monday to clear out activists camped in Cairo's Tahrir Square for weeks to demand justice for those behind the killing of protesters during Egypt's uprising.
The protesters hurled rocks at the security forces and ignored the army's orders over loudspeakers to clear the huge traffic circle in central Cairo that was the epicenter of the 18-day uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak in February. Hundreds of onlookers, frustrated over the disruptions to life and commerce around Tahrir, cheered the army for clearing the square, witnesses said.
The clashes began as the forces arrived in the square to dismantle the tents, witnesses said. They were sparked after a small group of protesters decided to continue the sit-in at Tahrir, even though most decided to end it to mark the start Monday of the holy month of Ramadan, when devout Muslims refrain from food, drink, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk.
The protesters hurled rocks at the security forces and ignored the army's orders over loudspeakers to clear the huge traffic circle in central Cairo that was the epicenter of the 18-day uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak in February. Hundreds of onlookers, frustrated over the disruptions to life and commerce around Tahrir, cheered the army for clearing the square, witnesses said.
The clashes began as the forces arrived in the square to dismantle the tents, witnesses said. They were sparked after a small group of protesters decided to continue the sit-in at Tahrir, even though most decided to end it to mark the start Monday of the holy month of Ramadan, when devout Muslims refrain from food, drink, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk.
