Egyptian troops fired warning shots at the main rally against President Hosni Mubararak in central Cairo today in a bid to end festivities with regime supporters and the protesters reacted jubilantly, an AFP correspondent reported."The army and the people hand in hand," the crowd shouted after dozens were maimed in running battles between pro and anti-Mubarak demonstrators on Cairo's central Tahrir Square.
The army has positioned its tanks and troops around the square but this is thought to be the first time they have opened fire since they were deployed on Friday and police vanished from the capital's streets.
Tensions between supporters of embattled Mubarak and opposition protesters boiled over as violent festivities broke out on Cairo's Tahrir Square, injuring at least 26.
The confrontations erupted after thousands of Mubarak supporters marched into Tahrir, which has become the focal point for nine days of anti-government protests.
Throwing stones
Protesters on both sides began throwing stones at each other, with some of the fiercest festivities breaking out in front of the world famous Egyptian Museum.
At least 10 people were maimed in the initial confrontation, and bloody head wounds were visible on many, an AFP correspondent said.
Pro-Mubarak supporters riding horses and camels then charged anti-government protesters, who surrounded them.
At least six were dragged from their animals and beaten, a second AFP correspondent said.
Elsewhere, an angry crowd of anti-Mubarak protesters beat at least 10 pro-regime demonstrators with sticks.
Soldiers surrounding the square took cover from the projectiles, and the windows of at least one army truck were broken.
Some troops stood on tanks and appealed for calm but did not otherwise intervene.
"The pro-Mubarak NDP (National Democratic Party) and the secret police dressed in plain clothes, invaded the place to get rid of the revolt," protester Mohammed Zomor, 63, told AFP.
Fighting took place around army tanks deployed in the square, with stones bouncing off the armoured vehicles. Some protesters were engaged in fist fights, and others were using clubs.
The opposition said plain clothes coppers had stormed the square.
"Members of security forces dressed in plain clothes and a number of thugs have stormed Tahrir Square," three opposition groups said in a statement.
Several thousand pro-Mubarak demonstrators also rallied in the upmarket Mohandeseen district, although no violence was reported there. The festivities came after pro-regime demonstrators staged protests at points across Cairo, pledging their allegiance to the beleaguered Mubarak, who has said he will not stand for re-election in September.
But the long-time ruler has not indicated any plans to leave office, a key demand of the anti-government protesters who have shaken Egypt with nine days of unprecedented demonstrations.