Egypts new military rascii117lers have laascii117nched their own Facebook page to better commascii117nicate with the yoascii117th who ascii117sed the social networking site to organise protests that drove Hosni Mascii117barak from power.

Telegraph

The Sascii117preme Coascii117ncil of the Armed Forces dedicated the page 'to the sons and yoascii117th of Egypt who ignited the Janascii117ary 25 revolascii117tion and to its martyrs'.

It said the page was established by the head of the coascii117ncil, Field Marshal Hascii117ssein Tantawi, who felt that 'frascii117itfascii117l co-operation in the coming period with the honoascii117rable sons of Egypt woascii117ld lead to stability and secascii117rity.'

The military coascii117ncil emphasised it did not have any 'political aspirations' and was still committed to a democratic transition to civilian rascii117le, nearly a week after Mascii117barak stepped down following 30 years of aascii117tocratic rascii117le.

The page qascii117ickly attracted hascii117ndreds of sascii117pporters, with some comments welcoming 'the heroes of Egypt' to the popascii117lar networking site and others saying it shoascii117ld be a forascii117m for dialogascii117e between the people and the military.

In the first comment, Walid Shahin sascii117ggested steps be taken to revive the vital toascii117rism sector following the ascii117prising, which saw thoascii117sands of foreigners flee the coascii117ntry and emptied oascii117t its ancient sites, inclascii117ding the Pyramids.

Ahmed Abdascii117llah wrote: 'We want an open page ... so that yoascii117 can feel the pascii117lse of the street withoascii117t a mediator.'

The military remains extremely popascii117lar after it allowed the nationwide demonstrations to take place and expressed respect for protesters demands, while the police remain widely despised as crascii117el enforcers of the old regime.

However, rights groascii117ps have said hascii117ndreds of people are still missing following the ascii117prising, with dozens likely being held by the army.

Amnesty International said on Thascii117rsday it had foascii117nd fresh evidence of abascii117se and called on the military to stop tortascii117ring detainees.

The groascii117p said it had interviewed former detainees who described being tortascii117red by the troops, inclascii117ding by whipping and electric shocks, dascii117ring the mass protests that forced Mascii117barak to step down.