CAIRO, Aug 15: Egyptians emerged Thursday from an all-night curfew imposed after the worst violence since their 2011 uprising, with 343 people killed as security forces broke up protests supporting ousted president Mohamed Morsi.
The army-backed interim government imposed a month-long nationwide state of emergency, and curfews in Cairo and 13 other provinces.[break]
Shortly after the curfew ended on Thursday morning, light traffic began returning to Cairo´s streets, with roads blocked for weeks by the pro-Morsi protests now reopened.
A health ministry official said at least 300 civilians had been killed throughout the country, updating an earlier toll. The interior ministry added that 43 security personnel had lost their lives.
Egypt´s press carried photos Thursday of Morsi supporters brandishing weapons and throwing stones at police during the previous day´s confrontations.
"The nightmare of the Brotherhood is gone," daily Al-Akhbar´s front page headline read.
"The Brotherhood´s last battle," added Al-Shorouk.
At least four churches were attacked, with Christian activists accusing Morsi loyalists of waging "a war of retaliation against Copts in Egypt".
The day´s violence was the worst since the 2011 uprising that ousted president Hosni Mubarak, with an AFP correspondent counting at least 124 bodies in makeshift morgues in the Rabaa al-Adawiya protest site.
Morsi´s Muslim Brotherhood spoke of 2,200 dead overall and more than 10,000 wounded.
The violence prompted vice president and Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei to resign, saying he was troubled over the loss of life, "particularly as I believe it could have been avoided".
"It has become too difficult to continue bearing responsibility for decisions I do not agree with and whose consequences I fear," he said.
The dramatic assault on the sit-ins shortly after dawn surprised many, coming after officials had described plans to gradually disperse the sit-ins over several days.
The operation began with security forces firing tear gas before surging into Rabaa al-Adawiya, sparking pandemonium among the thousands of protesters camping there in opposition to Morsi´s July 3 ouster by the military.
After the worst of the violence, many Morsi supporters were given safe passage out of the camp, some flashing victory signs as they left.
By Wednesday evening, a security official said Rabaa al-Adawiya was "totally under control", adding: "There are no more clashes".
In the smaller of the protest camps, at Al-Nahda square in central Cairo, police said they had control of the area after two hours.
Dozens rounded up in the dispersal were shown sitting on the ground, handcuffed and surrounded by security forces.
Authorities later said calm had been restored across the country.
Europe´s leading powers, along with Iran, Qatar and Turkey, strongly denounced the use of force by the interim government.
The White House said Washington, which provides Egypt with $1.3 billion in annual military aid, "strongly condemns" the violence against the protesters and opposed the imposition of a state of emergency.
But Egypt´s interim prime minister Hazem al-Beblawi praised the police for their "self-restraint" and said the government remained committed to an army-drafted roadmap calling for elections in 2014.
The Brotherhood urged Egyptians to take to the streets in their thousands to denounce the "massacre".
"This is not an attempt to disperse, but a bloody attempt to crush all voices of opposition to the military coup," spokesman Gehad al-Haddad said on Twitter.
Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim said no more protests would be tolerated, and in several neighbourhoods residents clashed with angry Morsi loyalists.
Clashes also erupted between security forces and Morsi supporters in the northern provinces of Alexandria and Beheira, the canal provinces of Suez and Ismailiya, and the central provinces of Assiut and Menya.
In Alexandria, hundreds of angry Morsi supporters marched Wednesday through the streets armed with wooden clubs chanting "Morsi is my president" and tearing down pictures of army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who led the coup against Morsi.
It was a dramatic turn of events for the Muslim Brotherhood, who just over a year ago celebrated Morsi´s victory as Egypt´s first elected president.
His turbulent year in power, marred by political turmoil, deadly clashes and a crippling economic crisis, turned many against the Islamist movement, with millions taking to the streets on June 30 to call for his removal.
Use of force widely condemned
Europe´s leading powers, along with Iran, Qatar and Turkey, strongly denounced the use of force by the interim government.
The White House said Washington, which provides Egypt with $1.3 billion in annual military aid, "strongly condemns" the violence against the protesters and opposes the imposition of a state of emergency.
Interim prime minister Hazem al-Beblawi praised the police for their "self-restraint" and said the government remained committed to an army-drafted roadmap that calls for elections in 2014.
The Muslim Brotherhood urged Egyptians to take to the streets in their thousands to denounce the "massacre".
"This is not an attempt to disperse, but a bloody attempt to crush all voices of opposition to the military coup," Brotherhood spokesman Gehad al-Haddad said on Twitter.
Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim said no more protests would be tolerated.
The anger against the Islamist movement was evident as residents of several neighbourhoods clashed with Morsi loyalists.
Clashes also erupted between security forces and Morsi supporters in the northern provinces of Alexandria and Beheira, the canal provinces of Suez and Ismailiya, and the central provinces of Assiut and Menya.
In Alexandria, hundreds of angry Morsi supporters marched through the streets armed with wooden clubs chanting "Morsi is my president".
An AFP reporter said they set fire to tyres and tore down pictures of army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who led the coup against Morsi.
It was a dramatic turn of events for the Muslim Brotherhood, who just over a year ago celebrated Morsi´s victory as Egypt´s first elected president.
His turbulent year in power, marred by political turmoil, deadly clashes and a crippling economic crisis, turned many against the Islamist movement, with millions taking to the streets on June 30 to call for his removal.
43 police also killed in Egypt: interior minister
Forty-three policemen were killed in violence across Egypt on Wednesday, on top of the deaths of 149 supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi, the interior minister announced.
"Eighteen police officers, including two generals and two colonels, 15 policemen, nine conscripts and a civilian employee of the police" were killed, Mohamed Ibrahim told reporters.
Kerry urges Egypt to hold elections
WASHINGTON, District of Columbia, Aug 14: US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday urged Egypt´s military to allow elections and for all sides to avoid further violence.
Denouncing the crackdown on supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi, Kerry urged a "peaceful, democratic way forward."
"Today´s events are deplorable and they run counter to Egyptian aspirations for peace, inclusion and genuine democracy," Kerry told reporters.
"The interim government and the military -- which together possess the preponderance of power in this confrontation -- have a unique responsibility to prevent further violence and to offer constructive options for an inclusive peaceful process across the political spectrum," Kerry said.
"This includes amending the constitution and holding parliamentary and presidential elections, which the interim government itself has called for," he said.
"All parties also share a responsibility to avoid violence and to participate in a productive path towards a political solution," he said, pointing to the opposition.
Kerry said that a political solution was the only option but acknowledged: "It has been made much, much harder and much, much more complicated by the events of today."
More than 149 people were killed when security forces broke up gatherings by supporters of Morsi, according to an AFP correspondent who visited makeshift morgues.
Kerry had previously praised the role of the military and said it was trying to restore democracy by toppling the democratically elected Morsi, comments on which he later backtracked.
The United States did not initially criticize the overthrow of Morsi, an Islamist, and has avoided using the term "coup," which under US law would have halted some $1.3 billion in annual military aid to Egypt.
US ally Israel supports the military assistance as Egypt is one of two Arab states to have reached a peace treaty with the Jewish state.
Kerry, echoing previous remarks from a White House spokesman, criticized the army-backed authorities for imposing a month-long state of emergency.
"We call on the government to respect basic human rights, including freedom of peaceful assembly and due process under the law. And we believe that the state of emergency should end as soon as possible," Kerry said.
Wednesday´s crackdown was the latest bloody turn in a wave of Arab Spring protests, which led to the resignation of veteran strongman -- and US ally -- Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
"The promise of the 2011 revolution has simply never been fully realized. And the final outcome of that revolution is not yet decided. It will be shaped in the hours ahead, in the days ahead," Kerry said.
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