Fierce clashes between troops and anti-military protesters prompted the ruling military council to announce an overnight curfew near the protest site, according to Al Jazeera.

“A curfew has been imposed in the Abbassiya square, around the defence ministry, and the surrounding streets,” General Mukhtar al-Mulla,  member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), said.

Egypt’s revolutionary forces called a “million man” protest in Cairo on Friday to demand the end of the ruling military council following deadly violence outside the ministry of defense in Cairo this week, Al Arabiya reported.

At least 11 people were killed in clashes that erupted Wednesday when apparent supporters of the military rulers attacked a mostly Islamist crowd staging a sit-in outside the Ministry of Defense in Cairo to call for an end to the generals’ rule.

Army troops were accused of standing idly by near the clashes and not intervening until after the deaths. Some suspect the military wants to create turmoil so it can justify holding onto power by claiming it is needed to maintain law and order.

Despite the difference in site demonstrations,the political forces show an agreement on the objectives of demonstration which demands Military Council to hand over power by July 1, and to condemn the deadly violence in Abbasiya.

Protesters have been demanding for the military to immediately step down for a long time, but the generals have stated they would stick to the scheduled day for the transfer of power.

The military has been accused of badly bungling the transition to democratic rule over the past year, when more than 100 people have died in political violence. It cracked down on pro-democracy protests and hauled more than 10,000 civilians to trial before military tribunals, accordingt to Reuters.

The violence is the latest episode in more than a year of unrest in Egypt follows the ouster of  authoritarian ruler Hosni Mubarak and will likely fuel more tensions just three weeks ahead of presidential elections.

The military generals who took over from Mubarak in February last year have vowed to hand over power  by July 1.

State power has been in the hands of the Military Council since former president Hosni Mubarak was toppled in February 2011. Military has previously vowed ot hand in power by July 1. The presidential election is scheduled for May 23 and 24 and a run off for June 16 and 17 if there is no outright winner in the first round.

Few Egyptians expect anyone of the 13 candidates to win more than 50 percent support in the May 23-24 vote, which is most probably to  go to a run-off in June.

Political party leaders met members of the ruling military council hours after 11 people and dozens were injured were killed when armed men attacked anti-army protesters near Cairo’s Defense Ministry.

One of the main demands of the protesters is the speedy transfer of power from military to civilian rule.

The clashes broke out at dawn today in the vicinity of the Nour mosque in Abbassiya, Cairo, between protesters and a number of amred men.

Protesters have accused the military of seeking to cling on to power. Even after a formal transfer, the military is likely to retain a broad influence on politics, analysts say.

Many candidates suspended their campaigns on Wednesday. Egyptian presidential candidate Abdul Muniem Abul Fotouh called off campaign events of the day over authorities’ handling of the anti-army protests.

Meanwhile the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) and Muslim bortherhood boycotted the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) meeting with political party leaders, on Wednesday, and suspended their presidential campaigns due to the escalation of the brutality  in Abbassiya square.