US condemns clashes in Egypt

The United States condemned clashes across Egypt on Friday and urged all leaders, including the army, to stop the violence after 14 people were killed following the toppling of President Mohamed Mursi. “We condemn the violence that has taken place today in Egypt. We call on all Egyptian leaders to condemn the use of force and to prevent further violence among their supporters,” State Department spokesman Jen Psaki said in a statement. Tens of thousands of supporters of Mursi, who was deposed by the Egyptian military on Wednesday, protested across the country against his ouster. In Cairo’s Tahrir Square, at least two people were killed when Mursi supporters traded fire with his opponents, state television reported. The clashes subsided when the army separated the protesters using armoured vehicles. Violence between Mr Mursi’s supporters and opponents left one dead in Egypt’s second city Alexandria and another in central Assiut, Egyptian officials said. Violence also gripped other areas, including the Sinai where gunmen killed five policemen and Islamists killed a soldier in a machine gun and rocket attack.