“Al Jazeera”: Battle rages continue in Tahrir Square of Egypt.

Egyptian security forces are battling with thousands of protesters in downtown Cairo's Tahrir Square as demonstrations against the country's interim military leaders continue to escalate.

Thick clouds of tear gas filled the air on Sunday as military police armed with batons and shields charged into the square, firing rubber bullets and forcibly clearing the area of protesters. The assault sparked panic among the estimated 5,000 protesters, many of whom had remained in Tahrir since early on Saturday.

Sunday's police action follows two days of clashes in downtown Cairo with thousands of rock-throwing protesters demanding that the ruling military announce a date to hand over power to an elected government.

"This is what the Egyptian army calls protecting the revolution", said a democracy activist. "We've lost so many people in the last nine months. We want Field Marshall Tantawi gone. We're going to keep on fighting; we don't have any other options."