Egypt military mulls its options

Egypt military mulls its options

Egypt’s army is likely to decide the fate of the pro-democracy protesters in Tahrir Square, and the short-term future of the country’s government – yet few Egyptians know what to expect, because the army’s objectives and orders remain unclear and sometimes contradictory.

Soldiers seem to have been tasked with crowd control near Tahrir Square, but the army has also stressed in several public statements that it will not fire on civilians. Thus, while the army deployed troops around Tahrir on Thursday – forming a protective ring around pro-democracy protesters – it was quickly forced to withdraw once heavy fighting picked up.

The next day, the defence minister – Mohammad Hussain Tantawi – paid a personal visit to Tahrir Square, meeting with soldiers stationed around it.