Egypt's army raises pressure on Islamists with call for rallies.....

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In this image taken from Egypt State TV, Egyptian Defense Minister Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi delivers a speech in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, July 24, 2013. El-Sissi has called on Egyptians to hold mass demonstrations to voice their support for the military to put an end to "violence" and "terrorism."( AP Photo/Egypt State TV)

Asma Alsharif and Tom Perry 1 hour ago

By Asma Alsharif and Tom Perry
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's military chief called for mass rallies on Friday to give him a mandate to tackle violence that has surged following his overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, ramping up pressure on the ousted leader's Islamist supporters.
General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who deposed Mursi on July 3 and installed an interim administration in the wake of huge street protests, said on Wednesday he did not want more bloodshed and urged national reconciliation.
Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood, which accuses Sisi of leading a coup, said the call for nationwide demonstrations raised the specter of a military crackdown, and warned of possible civil war.
Underscoring the potential for trouble, Mursi's backers announced plans for 34 marches in and around Cairo on Friday. Egypt's public prosecutor later ordered the arrest of Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie and eight other senior members of the movement in a probe over accusations of inciting violence.
Badie and other Brotherhood figures have been detained before and subsequently released since July 3. The Brotherhood, which for decades existed largely underground before the fall of strongman Hosni Mubarak in 2011, fears a broad crackdown.
Egypt's first freely elected president, Mursi has been held at an undisclosed military facility since he was shunted from power.
Speaking after days of sporadic street clashes that have left more than 100 dead, Sisi said ordinary Egyptians should rally to strengthen the hand of the army and police.
"I request that all Egyptians next Friday ... go down (into the street) to give me a mandate and an order to confront possible violence and terrorism," he told a military graduation ceremony in remarks broadcast live by state media.
Citing the "current situation", the United States said President Barack Obama had decided to delay delivery of four F-16 fighter jets to the Egyptian army, signaling deepening concern in the West over the course taken by the Arab world's most populous country.