By Charlie Miller
As armed clashes erupt on 6th October Bridge between supporters and opponents of ousted president Mohamed Morsi, the Daily News Egypt spoke to armed forces spokesman, Colonel Ahmed Ali.
Ali said the army’s role would be to drive a wedge between the fighting sides, in order to prevent further confrontations between them. Ali also confirmed that the army would not take sides, and would intervene to defend the rights of Egyptians to protest.
At the time of writing, despite the deployment of large numbers of soldiers on Qasr El-Eini Bridge, other bridges to Tahrir Square and downtown Cairo remain open. The army, he said, will close the 6th October Bridge to both vehicles and pedestrians if the situation deteriorates.
The Egyptian armed forces’ deployment is in support of Central Security forces, and has not taken a commanding role in the current developments.
Ali stated that an army investigation was underway to determine the exact circumstances of the killing of a pro-Morsi protester outside the Republican Guard headquarters earlier today. The situation was very ‘confused’ and the army’s orders are to use tear gas to disperse protesters and not live fire, he added.
