CAIRO (Dispatches) -- Egyptian troops staged a crackdown on protesters that turned deadly Wednesday morning in efforts to clear two anti-government sit-ins in Cairo, a development that observers worry could plunge the already divided country further into uncontrollable violence.
The ministry of health raised the toll to 95 killed and 874 injured in violence in Cairo and elsewhere as the president declared a state of emergency across the country, giving the armed forces responsibility for "taking all measures to protect public and private property and the lives of citizens", according to a statement read on state television.
The Freedom and Justice Party, the political arm of ousted President Muhammad Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood, said the field hospitals the Brotherhood has set up in the two squares have recorded as many as 2,200 dead and about 10,000 injured. The claim could not be independently confirmed.
Turkey urged the UN Security Council and Arab League to act quickly to stop the "massacre" in Egypt, and Iran warned of the risk of civil war.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said international passivity had paved the way for the military-backed Egyptian government's crackdown, which included violence in areas beyond the capital that killed at least 14 protesters.
Iran denounced the Egyptian bloodshed and called for a "national dialogue and democratic process".
In a statement, the foreign ministry expressed deep concern and added: "Undoubtedly the current approach ... strengthens the likelihood of civil war in this great Islamic country."
European leaders criticized the violence, calling for restraint and a return to meaningful dialogue to defuse Egypt's political standoff.
Two journalists were shot dead, including a British cameraman for Sky News. Mick Deane, 61, was shot during the raid on activists camped in Rabaa al-Adawiya Square in Cairo, where thousands of Morsi supporters had staged a six-week sit-in.
A second journalist was also shot dead in the square. Habiba Ahmed Abd Elaziz, 26, a police and courts reporter for the United Arab Emirates-based Xpress newspaper, was not on an official assignment and had returned to her native Egypt on annual leave, her employer said.
The storming of Raba'a al-Adiwiya and Nahda squares paralyzed Cairo, with major roads closed and tanks lining the streets as the government braced for a reaction from Muslim Brotherhood supporters. Brotherhood leaders had vowed to send their supporters to march on government buildings if the sit-ins were attacked.
Images from state television and provided by the Brotherhood's press office showed smoke filling the air, helicopters circling the sky, government snipers on roofs and scores of protesters lined up against cars as they were arrested by police. They also showed bloody bodies being taken into a Brotherhood field hospital set up in Raba'a. Images were accompanied by a bar reading, "The peaceful dispersal of the sit-ins."
Security forces fired tear gas and live ammunition at unarmed protesters including women. One older woman who had been tear gassed screamed, "God help us! We are unarmed!"
Ambulances were unable to get through to Raba'a due to thick plumes of tear gas. The wounded were instead being brought to the ambulances on motorcycle.
"They're killing people! Go take photos!" one motorcyclist screamed while taking his finger and making a slitting gesture across his throat.
The Egyptian army blocked reporters from going to the scene, violating earlier promises the police made to invite the press and human rights activists to observe the clearing of the sit-ins, amid concerns of police brutality.
Human rights groups have condemned the brute force Egyptian police have used when clearing demonstrations. Human Rights Watch said at least 130 protesters had died in standoffs with the police in the past month and called on state security forces to refrain from violence.
A soldier with a flash grenade in his hand and sweating profusely blocked reporters from heading to the scene at one road to Raba'a, which soldiers and riot police wearing balaclavas and gas masks blocked off.
Supporters of the Brotherhood heeded the leadership's calls and poured into the streets, clashing with security forces and their secular civilian neighbors as they tried to move toward Raba'a and reinforce the sit-in there.
"With our blood and with our soul we will sacrifice for Islam and bring Sisi down," protesters screamed and clapped on the street, referring to Gen. Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, the leader of the armed forces who orchestrated the coup that overthrew Mursi and his Muslim Brotherhood-led government.
Pro-government supporters took to the streets to support security forces as they blocked Brotherhood protesters from joining the sit-in.
"Sisi! Sisi! The army, the people, one hand!" pro-government supporters screamed.
"My son is in Raba'a and I cannot get in to help him," said Hussein Ibrahim, a supporter of the protests. "We have no guns, all we have is our bare chests. This is a coup and in any other country people would stand up to this. And Obama is talking about democracy? He is a hypocrite. They are killing us with American aid money," he said pointing to a military helicopter in the sky.
Egypt's military receives more than $1 billion annually in U.S. aid.
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Cabinet Awaits Majlis Vote
TEHRAN (Dispatches) – Iranian lawmakers on Wednesday held their last of day of deliberations ahead of an expected vote of confidence on President Hassan Rouhani’s proposed cabinet.
The third day of the debate began with legislators discussing the credentials and background of Ali Rabiei, the proposed nominee for the minister of labor, cooperatives and welfare.
Mahmoud Hojjati, the president’s pick for the minister of agriculture, and Mustafa Pour-Muhammadi, who has been nominated for the minister of justice to outline their plans, then took the podium to defend their policies.
President Rouhani was also present on Majlis floor during the debate. He submitted the list of his nominees during his swearing-in ceremony in Majlis on August 4.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei endorsed Rouhani for a four-year term in office as Iran’s new president in a ceremony on August 3 following his victory in the Iranian presidential election.
On Wednesday, as the debate got heated, parliament speaker Ali Larijani told lawmakers to cool their rhetoric and respect the assembly’s etiquette.
In a private meeting with members of parliament, Larijani asked MPs to avoid finger-pointing or repeatedly invoking the Leader while making their case, according to the Fars and Mehr news agencies. He also reminded lawmakers that the debate on the nominees was being broadcast live.
Rouhani has drawn criticism for picking too many people with Western education or links to the anti-government protests in 2009. The president, who replaced Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and was inaugurated last week, won election after promising to repair Iran’s international relations, hurt by standoff over its nuclear program, and revive the economy.
Rouhani has said he ignored the nominees’ political affiliations, choosing them for their abilities and experience. Several served under former presidents Muhammad Khatami and Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, whose support helped him to win the election.
Arguments erupted after a lawmaker denounced the proposed health minister, Hassan Ghazizadh Hashemi, and accused others of only endorsing him because he’s rich. “If he was a poor minister-designate you wouldn’t have backed him,” Nader Ghazipour told the assembly, according to Mehr. “You’re backing him for his money.”
The comment sparked heated reactions, with some lawmakers rushing to the podium and shouting, while others tried to calm them. Ghazipour was only allowed to resume his speech after being asked by fellow lawmakers and the deputy speaker, who was conducting the session, to apologize.
“I regret that such programs are aired live on television so that they can damage the parliament’s dignity,” lawmaker Hussein-Ali Shahriari was quoted as saying by Mehr.
The president's pick for foreign minister, Muhammad Javad Zarif, said he will not back down from fighting for Iran's right to maintain its nuclear program.
Zarif said Iran's diplomatic apparatus under him "will not withdraw one iota" of support for the nation's nuclear rights, but simultaneously boost relations with countries in the region and world
The comment by Zarif is partly seen as a move to deflect criticism by those who accuse him of being overly friendly toward the West.
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Bahrain Turned Into a Garrison
MANAMA (Dispatches) — Bahrain's security forces deployed in force throughout the capital early Wednesday ahead of nationwide opposition protests that authorities have warned they will "forcefully confront".
Anti-government activists, inspired by the mass movement in Egypt, say they hope to gain new momentum by calling for nationwide protests and a general strike. But harsh warnings from the regime are raising fears of more violence in the strategic Persian Gulf kingdom.
Most shops appeared to be shuttered, and the largest Shia political group Al Wifaq claimed in a statement that the strike was successful.
Helicopters hovered over empty streets in Manama. Security checkpoints surrounded by barbed wire guarded roads leading to the city from outlying neighborhoods populated by the Shia majority, which is calling for a greater voice in the country.
Small groups of demonstrators have already begun to gather, chanting "Rebellion! Rebellion!" But the main marches were planned for later in the day, the 42nd anniversary of the country's independence.
The island nation with a native population of more than 550,000 has been gripped by near nonstop turmoil since February 2011, when protesters inspired by the Arab Spring wave of revolutions began an uprising calling for a greater political voice in the country.
The regime also tightened security around restive villages in an effort to block anti-government protests pressing the ruling family to allow democracy.
The small Persian Gulf Arab state and Western ally hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet. The authorities crushed the revolt but protests and clashes have persisted despite continuing talks between government and opposition.
The protests called for Wednesday were symptomatic of rising tensions in the country. In contrast with previous protests, the pending rallies prompted the government to pass tough new laws banning demonstrations in the capital Manama.
"From what I have been hearing around, I know that it is going to be a peaceful movement but having said that I also expect clashes between the government forces and the protesters, because they are against all protests and demonstrations," the Wefaq leader, Sheikh Ali Salman, told Reuters.
The concerted new push for a "free and democratic Bahrain" through mass protest is being driven by "Tamarrod" (Rebellion), a loose association of opposition activists who came together in early July, according to social media quoting the group.
A Reuters witness said he saw police reinforcements, including some armored vehicles, being deployed on Tuesday night outside villages such as Sanabis, Sitra and Budaya where protests have previously taken place.
"I don't see where the problem is, why we are not allowed to ask for our demands and needs in peaceful demonstrations," a 24-year-old secretary, who asked not to be named, said. "The more the government suppresses people, the angrier they will get."
Complaining of discrimination against majority Shias in areas such employment and public services, the opposition is demanding a constitutional monarchy with a government chosen from within a democratically elected parliament.
Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa sternly warned activists on Monday that no protests would be tolerated and anyone inciting them would be prosecuted.
Signaling official concern, Bahrain's chief of staff met the commander of the Peninsula Shield in Bahrain, a unit of a joint force set up by the six-member Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) to confront protests, state news agency BNA reported.
It said that on Monday, Sheikh Khalifa chaired a "high level meeting" of senior officials to discuss government preparations ahead of the protests.
He has also accused anti-government protesters of seeking to foment chaos and topple the government.
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Attack on Embassy Dismissed
DAMASCUS (IRNA) – An official with the Iranian embassy in Syria on Wednesday dismissed news reports about a terrorist attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus.
The Al-Arabiya news channel had claimed that the residence of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the embassies of Iran and Russia in Damascus had been targeted by terrorists. Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi dismissed the claim, saying the embassy had not come under any threat.
Majlis Condemns Cairo Massacre
TEHRAN (Press TV) – Iran's Majlis on Wednesday strongly condemned the Egyptian army’s brutal crackdown on supporters of the ousted president Muhammad Mursi.
“We strongly condemn this savage behavior of the U.S.-backed Egyptian army, and firmly demand that they (the army) stop the massacre of people and let a democratic government be established in Egypt,” first vice speaker of the Majlis Muhammad Reza Bahonar said.
“The Egyptian army and security forces have attacked people, reducing thousands of innocents in Egypt to dust and blood,” he added.
