Amid Clashes, Egypt Troops Clear Tahrir Square

Swarms of Egyptian soldiers, riot police, and armored vehicles rolled into Cairo today to clear the last remaining protesters from Tahrir Square. Troops fired shots into the air and reportedly used clubs and electrified batons on activists demanding justice for the 850 protesters killed during the uprising in February, reports the AP. Citizens tired of the activists hindering daily life cheered their removal, and traffic flowed into the once bustling area for the first time since early July.

Although most of the activists had already abandoned their posts to observe the holy month of Ramadan, a small group—mostly family of those killed—remained. When troops moved in to dismantle tents, clashes began. "The soldiers rushed in, charged toward the tents, and brought them down," says one demonstrator. "The civilians who rushed in behind the army were cheering [the troops] and shouting: 'The army and people are one hand.'" (More Egypt stories.)