A group of soldiers pass by anti-government protestors just outside Cairo's main square, Egypt, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011. Egypt's prime minister apologized for the attack by regime supporters on anti-government protesters in central Cairo, vowing to investigate who was behind it. The protesters accuse the regime of sending a force of paid thugs and policemen in civilian clothes to attack them with rocks, sticks and firebombs to crush their movement to oust President Hosni Mubarak. [AP Photo]The Guardian—Egypt's revolution turns ugly as Mubarak fights back:
Egypt's pro-democracy revolution descended into violence and bloodshed overnight as President Hosni Mubarak's regime launched a co-ordinated bid to wrest back control of city streets, crush the popular uprising, and reassert its authority.Al Jazeera's liveblog is here. Christiane Amanpour reports frome Egypt here. A sampling of other coverage:
Bursts of heavy gunfire rained into Tahir square just before dawn today and there were reports that three more people had been killed. Protest organiser Mustafa el-Naggar said he saw the bodies of three dead protesters being carried toward an ambulance, while another witness spoke of 15 people being wounded.
Clashes had continued into the early hours even though the pro-Mubarak supporters had been pushed back to the edge of the square and explosions – possibly from gas canisters – echoed around the area.
There were extraordinary scenes in the centre of Cairo as anti-government demonstrators fought running battles with organised cohorts of Mubarak supporters, exchanging blows with iron bars, sticks and rocks.
At one point pro-Mubarak forces rode camels and horses into central Tahrir Square, scattering opponents. At least three people were killed yesterday and up to 1,500 injured according to medical sources.
George Soros in the WaPo: Why Obama has to get Egypt right.
New York Times: Protesters Clash Again on Cairo's Streets.
Wall Street Journal: New Premier Apologizes as Violence Escalates.
CNN: Who are the pro-Mubarak demonstrators?
LA Times: President Obama meets with John McCain at White House. Let me be probably not remotely the first person to say I really don't give a fuck what John McCain thinks about how we should approach Egypt.
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