CAIRO: Egyptian protesters who defied an army bid to clear them from Cairo's central Tahrir Square demanded on Saturday that the military pass power to civilians and put former president Hosni Mubarak on trial. The army, which has ruled Egypt since Mubarak was forced out of office on Feb. 11, has become a growing target for a hardcore of protesters who say its leadership is colluding with remnants of Mubarak's network and thwarting calls for a deeper purge. The army dismisses this and says it is guarding against any attempt by former officials to undermine the reform movement. Medical sources said two men died of gunshot wounds after the army moved to clear Tahrir during the curfew from 2 A.M. to 5 A.M. Troops and police used tasers and batons. Sounds of gunshots rang out across the square overnight. The army said it had only fired blanks and that its operation caused no deaths. State television said one person was killed and 71 were wounded in acts of rioting, without giving details. It was not clear if there were any other armed people in the square when the shots were fired. Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians had packed into Tahrir on Friday for one of the biggest protests since Mubarak was ousted. After a calm demonstration in the day, the army's attempts to clear the square met opposition from protesters. Hundreds were still in Tahrir by early on Saturday morning. Those numbers rose to more than 2,000 later in the day. Some protesters want the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to hand over power to a civilian council and have called for the resignation of Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, who heads the army council. He has stayed on as defense minister after serving for two decades in that post under Mubarak.
