15,000 protesters on Cairo streets: security official

Around 15,000 anti-government protesters were on the streets of Cairo on Tuesday demanding the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak and calling for reforms, according to a crowd estimate by a security official.

"There are now around 15,000 people taking part in the demonstrations around Cairo," the official said on condition of anonymity.

Protests also broke out in other parts of the country, including in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, the Nile Delta cities of Mansura and Tanta and in the southern cities of Aswan and Assiut, witnesses said.

The protests were inspired by the uprising in Tunisia which forced veteran strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to flee the country after 23 years in power.

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