At least one Egyptian police officer was killed early Thursday during an operation against armed groups in the outskirts of Cairo, Egyptian state TV reported.
Security forces exchanged gunfire and fired tear gas in the Kerdasah district, on the outskirts of Cairo, as they stormed the area to arrest people accused of torching police stations and killing 11 security officers last August, Reuters reported.
The situation in the Kerdasah suburb of Cairo has worsened and escalated since the Islamist President Mohamed Morsi was ousted in July. Police forces have been denied entrance to Kerdasah since then.
State television said one more officer was injured during the operation but that their forces had successfully secured control on the area and imposed a curfew, according to Reuters.
Morsi’s removal from office was triggered by mass protests that caused counter protests nationwide. Violence between his supporters and security forces included massive attacks on police stations, security officers and churches.
At least 1,000 people have died in the violence, with most deaths occurring during the security forces’ dispersal of two pro-Morsi sit-ins in Cairo on Aug. 14, according to a Reuters tally. About 100 police officers also died in the clashes.
Nearly 2,000 Islamist activists and politicians have been arrested since Morsi’s ouster, including many of the top officials in the Muslim Brotherhood, the political party Morsi was a member of.
Kerdasah, 14 km from Cairo and famous for producing and selling fine fabrics, is notorious foe being an Islamist stronghold, Reuters reported.
Residents told Reuters that Islamists were in control of the area, however, they added that they do not want police to gain a stronghold in the area.
