Troops storm Tahrir as clashes enter 5th day

The demonstrators who took to the square again last week have demanded that the countrys de facto ruler,Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi resign,and the military council he heads turn over power in the country to a civilian government.

The only thing thats going to end this is the field marshal stepping down, said Karim Ahmed,a pharmacist helping out near the clashes on Wednesday.

In trying for a truce,according to television reports,the government was apparently hoping that the crowd would be more willing to accept the authority of the soldiers than the loathed security forces.

But as time progressed,Tahrir Square descended into chaos at times. Tear gas billowed from two streets connecting to the square.

The government has been struggling to restore control after days of the biggest unrest since President Hosni Mubarak was driven from power nine months ago. A deal struck Tuesday between the Muslim Brotherhood and the military centred on an agreement to hold a presidential election by June. The crowd in the square roared its disapproval when the deal was announced Tuesday,fighting spiked on the avenue near the Interior Ministry and protesters continued to swell.DAVID D KIRKPATRICK amp; ANTHONY SHADID