Egyptian security forces killed at least 29 people on Wednesday when they moved in to clear a camp of protesters demanding the reinstatement of deposed President Mohamed Mursi, in a dramatic dawn swoop aimed at ending a six-week standoff in Cairo.
Troops opened fire on demonstrators in clashes that brought chaos to areas of the capital and looked certain to further polarize Egypt's 84 million people between those who backed Mursi and the millions who opposed his brief rule.
So far the army seems to be staying out while the police clear the pro-Mursi people. That would keep the army's hands clean to allow it to portray itself as the savior of the nation rather than a faction.
But just as I typed that, I heard that the army is about to step in. So maybe the police (para-military types--not patrol cops) got tired of doing the dirty work.
Or maybe the police just aren't sufficient to handle the problem. There are only so many, and they get stretched and tired.
I wonder if the army leadership has been working on the lower ranks to bolster their loyalty to the army to prepare them for a task that two years ago when Mubarak went down, they seemed too shaky to take on.
