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Lockdown by Government Smothers Muslim Brotherhood Protests in Egypt
(New York Times) David D. Kirkpatrick and Rod Nordland - A tight lockdown on Cairo by Egyptian security forces on Friday squelched planned protests by the Muslim Brotherhood, suggesting that the new military government had gained a decisive edge in its battle against supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi. Armored military vehicles moved through the streets around dawn, unrolling coils of barbed wire across thoroughfares, encircling central mosques where protests have often broken out after prayers on Fridays. Tanks and armored personnel carriers took up positions at bridges, tunnels and other crucial intersections. The relatively small number of demonstrators avoided even the smallest confrontation. It was the latest sign that the escalating crackdown against "terrorism" called for by Gen. Sisi, chief of the armed forces, appears to have broken the back of the Brotherhood. Egyptian security forces have killed more than a thousand and arrested at least as many in the nine days since they dispersed two Brotherhood-led sit-ins by tens of thousands of Morsi supporters. In addition to detaining Morsi, the police have arrested the Brotherhood's top spiritual leaders and much of its governing board.