At least eight people have been injured after Egyptian security forces opened fire at supporters of the ousted president, Mohamed Morsi, demanding his reinstatement during a rally in the capital, Cairo.

Live rounds and tear gas have been also used against pro-Morsi protesters near Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Friday.

The situation intensified after the army sealed off the square with tanks and barbed wire to keep protesters out.

Troops also blocked main streets and prevented the ousted president's supporters from gathering in al-Tayaran and Nasr City areas of Cairo.

The North African country faces mass rallies every Friday in condemnation of the interim government’s crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood supporters and the killing of protesters following Morsi’s ouster.

Earlier in the day, unknown gunmen attacked a military vehicle east of Cairo, killing at least two soldiers and wounding two others.

Egypt has been facing insecurity since the ouster of Morsi by the army on July 3, with militant groups stepping up their attacks on members of Egyptian security forces ever since