The forcible dispersal of two pro-Mohamed Mursi protest camps on August 14, 2013 will remain "the eternal anniversary of martyred policemen," state-run news agency MENA quoted Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim as saying.Ibrahim commended the ministry of interior's efforts in "securing Egypt's streets" on the first anniversary of the pro-Mursi Rabaa al-Adawiya and Nahda sit-ins' dispersal last Thursday. The sit-ins' forcible dispersal left at least 648 killed, mostly civilians, according to official figures.
Ibrahim reportedly said that the police apparatus lost 114 "martyrs" since the sit-ins' dispersal and until August 31 last year.
"They faced a fierce battle with terrorist forces," Ibrahim said, in reference to the killed policemen. "They sacrificed their lives to protect the peoples' will and achieve victory for the people against the terrorism of the Muslim Brotherhood."
Eight security personnel were killed during Rabaa's dispersal, according to official figures.
The dispersals triggered nationwide occasional clashes between security forces and Muslim Brotherhood sympathisers who staged protests condemning the dispersals.
They were also followed by counterattacks which targeted police stations, security institutions and churches. According to a report on the Rabaa dispersal prepared by the state-affiliated National Council for Human Rights, counterattacks lasted for four days, leaving behind 686 killed, including 64 policemen.
Mursi supporters staged protests on Thursday and Friday commemorating the dispersal's first anniversary. The protests soon devolved into clashes leaving at least nine killed, including one policeman, according to Khaled al-Khatib, the head of the health ministry's critical care unit.
Ibrahim said the ministry of interior "succeeded in thwarting the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood's plot to disrupt the state's public utilities," reported MENA. He added that security forces were also able to dismantle Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) planted to "terrorise citizens."
The interior minister applauded the awareness level of the Egyptian citizen and their "positive cooperation" with policemen.
