The Egyptian military made good on its promise to clear pro-Mohamed Morsi encampments out of two Cairo squares by sweeping through Wednesday, allegedly killing “at least 149” people.
According to the Associated Press, pro-Morsi supporters have listed the number of dead in the thousands, but a cross section of reports on the sweeps does not appear to support numbers that high.
Initial reports from NBC were that 15 died–they have now updated that to “at least 149.”
The Washington Post also reports 149 dead and says that the “Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, which backs… [Morsi], put the death toll at more than 2,000.”
However, the Post indicated that the claims made by the Freedom and Justice Party “could not be confirmed.”
The “two sit-in camps at two major intersections on opposite sides of the Egyptian capitol began in late June to show support for Morsi.” CNN reported that “breaking bricks and gunfire could be heard” as the Egyptian military entered the encampments, and “tear gas was filling the air.”
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.