Egypt ruler attends funeral of soldier killed in clashes

Egypt’s military ruler, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, arrived on Saturday at the funeral of a soldier killed in clashes between troops and anti-military protesters, an AFP reporter said.

The soldier, a member of a special forces unit, was killed on Friday during clashes at the Al-Nur mosque in central Cairo, members of his unit told AFP.

The clashes erupted just three weeks ahead of Egypt’s first presidential election since a popular uprising ousted president Hosni Mubarak last year.

The ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, headed by Tantawi, imposed an overnight curfew in the Abbassiya area near the defence ministry where the fierce fighting took place.

Two people, including the soldier, were killed and almost 300 wounded in the clashes, the health ministry said.