Egyptian troops raid Tahrir sparking fresh clashes with protesters

Egyptian security forces today raided the landmark Tahrir Square in a bid to evict protesters who have been holding anti-military protests for the fifth straight day, amid mounting international criticism over the bloody crackdown that has left at least 14 people killed.

Violent clashes between protesters and joint forces from the Egyptian Army and riot police re-erupted in the heart of the captial at the crack of dawn today, with four deaths reported.

Yamen El Genedy, a doctor at the Omar Makram Mosque field hospital, was quoted as saying by Ahram Online that he saw four people admitted this morning. All of them had been shot dead.

"The bullets had entered and exited their bodies, making it seem like the result of snipers. The force of the gunshots was very strong," said El Genedy. One of the deaths, he added, was a 19-year-old.

El Genedy said that not all of those killed had been at the front line on Qasr El-Aini Street, with some shot in Tahrir Square.

The protesters are demanding that the ruling military hand power to a civilian leadership. However the Egyptian military has undertaken an unprecedented heavy handed crackdown.

Agitated over the brutal crackdown and mistreatment of women protesters by the military, women are preparing for a massive rally here today to denounce the atrocities committed by the armed forces.

The US has denounced the crackdown on Egyptian women as "shocking" and a "disgrace" to the state after troops were shown ripping off a female protester's clothes.

"This systematic degradation of Egyptian women dishonors the revolution, disgraces the state and its uniform and is not worthy of a great people," said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Egyptian women journalists also plan to protest near the iconic square to express their anger against the treatment meted out to females by the armed forces during protests.

The protest named, 'She was not stripped but revealed the truth of the SCAF', has been gaining support after a clip of a fully veiled woman being dragged and undressed by military police found its way onto the social media and made headlines this week.

The military officers have refused to comment on the incident but said the matter was being investigated by the prosecutor general.

The protest is also meant to object to the virginity tests of the women protesters by the SCAF in March just after Mubarak was ousted.

Sexual harassment has allegedly been used systematically by Egypt's security forces against activists since 2005 when demonstrations erupted against proposed constitutional amendments.

Gunfire rang out across Tahrir Square at dawn today as security forces used batons and tear gas during the raid to evict the anti-military protesters from the Cairo's central Tahrir Square.

The brutal crackdown on the protesters has drawn condemnation from UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, who said he was "highly alarmed by the excessive use of force ... by the security forces against protesters".

He asked Ban "transitional authorities to act with restraint and uphold human rights, including the right to peaceful protest", according to a statement released in New York.

Clinton urged the Egyptian security forces to "respect and protect the universal rights of all Egyptians, including the rights to peaceful free expression and assembly".