Monday, November 21, 2011

Egypt protests: New street battles erupt in Tahrir Square



Violence concentrated on south-west corner of central Cairo square, where security forces have been holding ground for 48 hours

Jack Shenker in Cairo
guardian.co.uk, Monday 21 November 2011

"Fierce fighting resumed in central Cairo on Monday as the Egyptian health ministry said the death toll from the anti-junta protests had reached at least 20, with more than 1,700 injured.

The violence is concentrated on the south-west corner of Tahrir Square, in central Cairo, where a heavily-fortified line of security forces has been holding ground for 48 hours.....

Motorbikes ferried hundreds of wounded civilians to a makeshift field hospital on the edge of Tahrir Square, where a handful of doctors, helped by volunteers, struggled to deal with the influx.

"We are seeing many patients suffering from severe gas inhalation and flesh wounds from different types of ammunition," Amr Wageeh, a 21-year-old medical student, said.

"I've been here four hours and helped treat over 100 in that time – it's hard because the teargas that's being used is stronger than what we've dealt with in the past and appears resistant to [the normal remedies of] vinegar and soda.

"The elections can go to hell – Tahrir comes first, and we must complete our half-finished revolution before starting to organise a vote....."

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