Egypt's armed forces chief said Wednesday the military is ready to die to defend the people against "terrorists" and extremists, after President Mohamed Morsi rejected an army ultimatum and public pressure to quit.
The statement was posted on a Facebook page associated with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces headed by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
"The general commander of the armed forces said it was more honourable for us to die than to have the people of Egypt terrorised or threatened," the statement said in a post entitled "The Final Hours".
"We swear to God that we will sacrifice our blood for Egypt and its people against all terrorists, extremists and ignorant" groups, it said, citing the army chief.
The statement was issued just hours after Morsi rejected an army ultimatum calling on him to find a way out of the current crisis by 4:30 pm (1430 GMT) on Wednesday or face an army-drafted roadmap.
WATCH: BRETT MASON REPORTS FROM TAHRIR SQUARE
ALMOST 100 WOMEN SEXUALLY ASSAULTED IN CAIRO: HRW
Close to 100 women have fallen victim to "rampant" sexual attacks in Cairo's Tahrir Square during four days of protests against Egypt's Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday.
"Mobs sexually assaulted and in some cases raped at least 91 women in Tahrir Square... amid a climate of impunity," HRW, which is based in New York, said in a statement.
It cited figures from the Egyptian Operation Anti-Sexual Harassment/Assault, which runs a hotline for victims of sexual assault, showing that there were 46 such attacks against women on Sunday, 17 on Monday and 23 on Tuesday.
Another women's rights group, Nazra for Feminist Studies, reported that there were another five attacks on Friday, said HRW.
The watchdog called on Egyptian officials and political leaders "across the spectrum to condemn and take immediate steps to address the horrific levels of sexual violence" in the iconic square.
"The rampant sexual attacks during the Tahrir Square protests highlight the failure of the government and all political parties to face up to the violence that women in Egypt experience on a daily basis in public spaces," said Joe Stork, HRW's deputy Middle East director.
"These are serious crimes that are holding women back from participating fully in the public life of Egypt at a critical point in the country's development."
Several women required surgical intervention after the attacks, some were "beaten with metal chains, sticks, and chairs, and attacked with knives," HRW said.
