CAIRO – Supporters of President Hosni Mubarak, throwing petrol bombs, wielding sticks and charging on horses and camels, fiercely attacked demonstrators in Cairo on Wednesday after the army told protesters to clear the streets. Anti-Mubarak protesters hurled stones back and said the attackers were police in plain clothes, a charge the Interior Ministry denied.
The Egyptian government rejected international calls for the leader to end his 30-year-rule now. This apparent rebuff along with the appearance of Mubarak supporters on Cairo’s streets and their clashes with protesters complicated US calculations for an orderly transition of power. Opposition figurehead Mohamed ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace laureate, called on the army to intervene to stop the violence in Tahrir Square. But the troops made no attempt to intervene as the opposing factions clashed.
Earlier, pro-Mubarak youths were bussed into various districts of the capital and the carnival-atmosphere of the last 48 hours turned menacing. The casualty toll from violence in Cairo rose to one dead and 403 wounded from 350 wounded, Health Ministry officials said. The dead man, killed when he fell from a bridge, was a soldier.
Urging protesters to go home, the armed forces told them their demands had been heard, but some were determined to occupy the square until Mubarak quit. The White House condemned violence and said that it was clear the Egyptian people needed to see progress and change immediately.
