Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — After weeks of violent clashes, Egypt’s military has
intervened to bolster the new Islamist regime of President Mohammed Morsi.

Officials said Egyptian Army troops have been ordered to deploy around
government buildings and critical facilities in northern cities. They said
the Army was under orders not to use live fire against anti-Morsi protesters
and separate them from the Central Security Forces.

“The armed forces personnel are on the scene to protect the government
building and to separate the protesters and the Interior Ministry force,”
Egyptian military spokesman Ahmed Mohammed Ali said.

On late March 3, the Central Security Forces opened fire toward
protesters stationed behind Army troops in Port Said. A police officer was killed, which sparked shooting by others in his Army unit. In all 11
soldiers and CSF officers were injured in a battle that lasted into early
March 4.

Port Said, located along the Suez Canal, has been wracked by unrest for
the last week. CSF and anti-riot police fired tear gas and bird
shot toward thousands of rioters, who responded with firebombs and rocks. The Health Ministry said 325 people were injured.

“The people and the Army are one hand,” thousands of protesters chanted in an attempt to win protection of the soldiers.

The fighting in Port Said continued into March 4 as Army troops were
again trapped between security forces and protesters. Witnesses said six
people were killed as several military personnel, including a colonel, were
injured by live fire. At one point, the protesters torched security
headquarters in the city.

The intervention of the military came in wake of assurances by Egyptian
Defense Minister Abdul Fatah Al Sisi to the United States that the Army
would not be used to stop anti-Morsi demonstrations. Egypt receives $1.3
billion in U.S. military aid a year, and many in Congress have questioned
whether the assistance should be curtailed amid nationwide unrest.

Officials acknowledged that CSF and other units under the Interior
Ministry have been unable to contain the anti-Morsi violence. They said the
army was ordered to deploy in Port Said after police fled, and that Morsi
was urging the military to take full control of the city.

“The regime in its current form is unable to manage the country,”
opposition leader Mohammed El Baradei said. “There must be a radical review
before it is too late.”

  Abdul Fatah Al Sisi, Ahmed Mohammed Ali, Central Security Forces, Egyptian military moves to protect government sites as anti-Morsi protests spread, Mohammed El Baradei, Port Said, Suez Canal