The Egyptian security forces started disbanding the two major sit-ins of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi's supporters early Wednesday, eyewitnesses told Xinhua.
"There is heavy gunfire all over the place and there are policemen in black seem to be from the Special Forces, while at least 15 people were killed in the process," Xinhua's correspondent at Rabia al-Adawiya Square in Cairo reported.
A state of chaos overwhelmed the scene as the police removed the sandbag barriers surrounding the square.
Xinhua's correspondent added that the security forces used loudspeakers to warn the residents around the sit-ins not to leave their buildings or look out of the windows during the operation.
Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry issued a statement, stressing that "the security forces have taken all necessary procedures to disband the two sit-ins, allowing the protesters to safely leave through announced exits."
Morsi's loyalists have been holding two major sit-ins in Rabia al-Adawiya Square in Cairo and Nahda Square Giza since June 28, days before Morsi's ouster, demanding his reinstatement.