An Egyptian army officer salutes protesters from atop an army armoured personnel carrier in Tahrir square in Cairo January 29, 2011. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak refused on Saturday to bow to demands that he resign after ordering troops and tanks into cities in an attempt to quell an explosion of street protests against his 30-year rule.
CAIRO, EGYPT – JANUARY 29: Protestors chant as they stand on an army tank in Tahrir Square on January 29, 2011 in Cairo, Egypt. Tens of thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets across Egypt in Cairo, Suez, and Alexandria to call for the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. Riot police and the Army have been sent into the streets to quell the protests, which so far have claimed 32 lives and left more than a thousand injured.
CAIRO, EGYPT – JANUARY 29: Protestors carry an army captain on their shoulders after he tore up a poster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Tahrir Square on January 29, 2011 in Cairo, Egypt. Tens of thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets across Egypt in Cairo, Suez, and Alexandria to call for the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. Riot police and the Army have been sent into the streets to quell the protests, which so far according to health officials have claimed at least 45 lives and left more than a two-thousand injured.
Demonstrators celebrate atop an army tank in Tahrir square during protests in Cairo January 29, 2011. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak refused on Saturday to bow to demands that he resign after ordering troops and tanks into cities in an attempt to quell an explosion of street protests against his 30-year rule.
CAIRO, EGYPT – JANUARY 29: Protestors stand with a soldier as he waves an Egyptian flag on an army tank in Tahrir Square on January 29, 2011 in Cairo, Egypt. Tens of thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets across Egypt in Cairo, Suez, and Alexandria to call for the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. Riot police and the Army have been sent into the streets to quell the protests, which so far have claimed at least 38 lives and left more than a two-thousand injured. The cabinet has formally resigned, but protesters are seeking a regime change with the resignation of Mubarak. Whilst the Army has deployed tanks and Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) to the streets there has been little implementation of them, and soldiers have interacted peacefully with passing marchers. The government has installed a curfew, blockaded access to the Giza pyramids with tanks and APC's and taken measures to secure museums from looters.
Reuters Pictures 33 minutes ago
An Egyptian anti-government protester gestures in front of a burning police station near the pyramids, in Giza, Egypt, Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011. The pyramids on the outskirts of Cairo – Egypt's premiere tourist site – were closed by the military to tourists.
Thousands in Cairo defy curfew, demand change
CAIRO – Saying Egypt's president must go, a massive crowd of tens of thousands defied the government's curfew and filled the streets and squares of downtown Cairo Saturday in a resounding rejection of the longtime leader's attempt to hang onto power with promises of reform and a new government.
Tanks and armored personnel carriers fanned out across the city of 18 million, guarding key government buildings. But the curfew was largely ignored — by the looters who ran rampant, by protesters, and apparently by soldiers under orders to enforce it.
The death toll since the largest anti-government protests in decades began Tuesday rose to 45, according to medical and security officials, 38 of them killed since Friday. Some 2,000 injuries have been reported.
In the city's main Tahrir Square, at the center of Saturday's massive demonstration, there was only a light military presence — a few tanks — and soldiers are not intervening. Few police were seen in the crowds and the protest began peacefully. Then police opened fire on some in the crowd near the Interior Ministry and a number of them were wounded by gunshots. It was not clear whether they used rubber bullets or live ammunition.
One army captain joined the demonstrators, who hoisted him on their shoulders while chanting slogans against President Hosni Mubarak. The officer ripped a picture of the president.