Egypt: Taliban Condemns Violence as Protests Rage On
The Afghan Taliban has condemned the latest bloodshed in Egypt and urged international organisations to stop the cycle of violence in the Arab world's most populous nation.
The militant group, which ruled Afghanistan before the US invasion, also called for ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi to be reinstated.
Urging the international community to take steps to resolve the crisis, the Taliban called on the world "not [to] be satisfied with only condemning this barbaric incident".
In a statement signed by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the Taliban called on the Egyptian military and government to stop "spilling the blood of innocent women, children and elderly".
It also called for the return of the constitutionally elected president to "stop the situation from spiralling further out of control".
The militant Islamic organisation has been responsible for years of violence in Afghanistan, costing hundreds of civilian lives. The group opposes democratic elections in Afghanistan and threatens to attack voters.
The Taliban supports the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt for ideological reasons, and because it considers Cairo's military-backed interim administration secular and US-orchestrated.
Meanwhile, in Egypt, Brotherhood supporters are looking to continue the "day of rage" into week-long protests.
Following the deaths of more than 100 people in Friday's violent protests, the Brotherhood urged Egyptians to take to the streets.
"Our rejection of the coup regime has become an Islamic, national and ethical obligation that we can never abandon," it said.
At least 700 people have died in the violence that has swept across Egypt since rallies began on Wednesday (14 August). Brotherhood supporters claim a much higher death toll.
The Egyptian presidential office has announced that it will hold an international press conference on Saturday.
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