Egyptian conscript killed in clashes with MB protesters

One conscript was killed and 32 others were wounded Wednesday in clashes between security forces and Muslim Brotherhood protesters in the seaside city of Damietta, official news agency MENA reported.

The clashes erupted when central security forces attempted to disperse dozens of Brotherhood supporters who flocked into Sa'a Square Tuesday, 150 km from the capital Cairo, the report added.

Security forces fired tear gas and the supporters of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group responded with birdshot and Molotov cocktails, MENA quoted Hassan Bardisy, chairman of Damietta security headquarters, as saying.

The wounded included 27 civilians, a police officer and four security personnel, two of whom are in critical condition.

The security official added that 16 pro-Brotherhood members, including 13 women, were arrested.

Security forces sealed off entrances and exits to the square to arrest the troublemakers, the official said.

Following the removal of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi by the army in June 2013 in response to mass protests against his rule, Morsi's loyalists have staged regular protests against army-backed authorities.

In August 2013, the authorities carried out a massive crackdown over Morsi's two main sit-ins in Cairo and Giza, leaving nearly 1,000 dead.

Since then, thousands of Brotherhood supporters were detained over charges of violence, murder and illegal protests, and the scale of their protests has been reduced. Endit