THE GUARDIAN: Tunisian capital witnesses violent clashes between armed forces and those loyal to former president Zine el-Abedine Ben Ali
As the sun set on Bourguiba Avenue in central Tunis, the lull of a distant call to prayer was drowned out by the relentless crackle of machine-gun fire as soldiers darted for cover from tree to tree along the deserted boulevard. Up above, on top of the interior ministry whose basements had housed the regime's torture rooms, snipers were firing down into the street.
"The old police loyal to Ben Ali are shooting from the roof," said a police officer as he hurried from room to room of a nearby hotel, crawling across the carpet to check windows were closed. Military helicopters hovered overhead as the gun battle raged.
There were other skirmishes outside the central bank and the PDP opposition party headquarters.
On the Mediterranean shore at Carthage, north of the capital, there was sporadic gunfire as fighting continued at the presidential palace. Residents barricaded themselves in homes, saying palace guards loyal to the ousted dictator were resisting the army.
Confusion reigned. For the first time in the Arab world, a people had forced out a leader by spontaneously and peacefully taking to the street. But although Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali has fled, the diehards of his brutal police force have not. During the day random yellow taxi-loads of militia loyal to the ousted leader had careered through the capital and some suburbs, firing randomly into the air. Armed gangs broke into homes and ransacked them, or fired shots in the street. >>> Angelique Chrisafis in Tunis | Sunday, January 16, 2011
