EGYPT: Violent clashes continue as former president Mubarak is released On Monday, 25 Egyptian conscripts were ambushed and killed by militants in the Sinai Peninsula, a volatile region bordering Israel where deadly clashes between security forces and Islamist extremists have increased since the ouster of ex-president Morsi. The attack, possibly an act of revenge, came one day after 36 Morsi supporters died under suspicious circumstances while in prison, with the Muslim Brotherhood accusing police forces of deliberately committing a "massacre." According to the Interior Ministry, the arrested persons suffocated from tear gas fired by police officers who tried to stop the prisoners from attempting to escape. Comment: More than 1,000 Morsi supporters have died since Wednesday last week, triggering attacks against security forces and Christian churches throughout the country. The political crisis is likely to intensify following the decision of an Egyptian court to release former long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak on grounds of laws limiting the length of pretrial imprisonment. Even though Mubarak will be placed under house arrest and stand retrial for the killings of protesters in 2011, the move is seen by some as an attempt of the military to reassert its former authoritarian rule. Threats to ban the Muslim Brotherhood, along with the arrest of its spiritual leader Mohamed Badie on Monday, add to these concerns.
Posted on: Sun, 25 Aug 2013 09:38:05 +0000
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