Entry 18

2:18 am February 3^rd 2011-02-02

I fell asleep and woke up, to a man calling in. He said that the fighting itself is at a minimum. If one takes shots of the square now, one may think it is empty. But in reality about 50, 000 people appear to be in the surrounding areas and controlling entrances to the square so that no new “thugs” enter.

People are taking shifts sleeping. Some women are sleeping in tents, but most are ill-equipped on asphalt or grass and few are actually getting sleep.

Protestors are at entrances of square not square itself …number 50 to 60 000 remain.

One of the prominent scenes reported today is that a tank with license number 1326 and standing at the entrance of

Talaat Harb street

, had an army officer standing with his gun in his mouth and tears streaming down his face. He appeared to be beseeching his commanding officer to help the protestors and eventually the commanding officer complied. It is reported that that tank was among the very first that started to help disperse the “thugs”. Anti-Mubarak protestors later were seen embracing the noble individual who took these bold steps on behalf of the Egyptian army.

AS of present most “thugs” appear to be behind 6^th of October bridge and remain in a cycle of charge and retreat throughout the night.

News of fresh protestors coming in to relieve those present is trickling in. For example news of El Sheikh Safwat Hijazi adding a group of 10,000 was said to be true as well as groups led byDr. Essam El Erian and Dr. Beltagy.

This specific caller said he witnessed “khartoushes” that are canisters filled with shrapnel fired into crowds. He is a Doctor and said that a young 20-year-old man rushed to him with his 50-something-year old father who had one gun shot wound to the neck and they soon all came to the realization that the man had already died.

This specific caller said he estimated 600 deaths since he joined the demonstrations three days ago. His voice sounds tired and he is reporting complications with his eye sight from the tear gas.

He sent out a message to the army to please help them by joining them and obliterating the thugs from Downtown Cairo.

PLEASE READ ENTRY 17 or 10 or THE FIRST ENTRY OF THIS BLOG FOR BACKGROUND