The coordinated attacks were the most significant yet in Egypt’s capital, at a time of mounting confrontation between Islamists and the military-backed government. The attacks fueled fears of an increasing militant insurgency in retaliation for the militarys July 3 ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi and the subsequent crackdown on his Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists. Fox News reported that the White House was quick to condemn the attacks and urged all sides to stop the violence. “These crimes should be investigated fully and the perpetrators should be brought to justice. We extend our condolences to the families and friends of the victims and we hope for the quick and full recovery of the survivors,” White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters Friday. ``It should be clear to all Egyptians that violence has not and will not move Egypts political transition forward, Carney said. The hours after the bombings saw a public backlash against the Brotherhood, which the government accuses of being behind the monthslong wave of bombings and shootings, though it denies any link. Angry residents joined in with security forces in clashes with Brotherhood supporters holding their daily protests in several districts of the capital and multiple cities across the country in violence that left 10 dead. In one Cairo neighborhood, pro-Morsi protesters clashing with security forces set fire to a police kiosk, sending a pall of smoke in the air. In the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, residents throwing stones and firing rounds of birdshot killed one Brotherhood supporter when they attacked Islamists marching after the funeral of a student protester killed the day before. As police drove back from clashes with Brotherhood supporters in the capitals Giza district in the afternoon, they were hit by the days fourth bombing -- a roadside explosive that killed one policeman and wounded four others on Haram Street, a main avenue leading to the famed Giza Pyramids. The turmoil intensified an atmosphere of chaos and fear on the eve of the third anniversary of the Jan. 25 start of the 2011 uprising that ousted Egypts longtime autocrat, Hosni Mubarak. Amid the bombings and clashes, security forces closed major avenues in Cairo and sealed off central Tahrir Square and other city squares. Three years since the uprising in the name of democracy, Egypt is locked into the fight between the new government and the Brotherhood, which gained political dominance in the first post-Mubarak elections only to lose it when massive public protests against them prompted the coup. The government installed since by the military has waged a fierce crackdown on the group, arresting thousands of its members and killing hundreds as police put down their protests demanding Morsis return. Authorities accused the Brotherhood as being behind the tide of militant attacks, branding it officially as a terrorist organization. The Brotherhood has called the accusation baseless, saying authorities are only trying to justify their drive to crush the group. Still, even some who dismiss the claims the group organized the insurgency fear that the crackdown is driving desperate young Brotherhood supporters into militant violence. In any case, the branding has helped fuel a wave of popular sentiment against the group and in favor of the military among a public fearful of the militant attacks, which have largely targeted security forces but increasingly in public areas causing civilian casualties. After Fridays blasts, private TV stations aired called from listeners demanding that army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the man who ousted Morsi, now act decisively to crush the Brotherhood. Outside the Cairo security headquarters hit in Fridays first bombing, a crowd chanted slogans against the Brotherhood and in support of el-Sissi. Execution for Morsi and his leaders, one man shouted through a megaphone. A woman held up a picture depicting the Brotherhood as sheep, screaming, Morsi is the butcher and el-Sissi will slaughter him. The office of interim President Adly Mansour vowed in a statement after the attack that it is determined to uproot terrorism and said it could be forced to take exceptional measures. It did not elaborate, but the turmoil raises the potential for the partial return of a curfew imposed on much of the country for several months after the crackdown on Morsis supporters escalated in mid-August. In a statement, the Brotherhood condemned the attacks and suggested the security forces themselves were behind it to justify an even wider crackdown. It said the bombings were a prelude to unjust, dangerous decisions.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 18:04:35 +0000
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