US Secretary of State John Kerry said that the Egyptian army was “restoring democracy” as it ousted the Brotherhood’s Mohammad Mursi.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said that the Egyptian army was “restoring democracy” as it ousted the overthrown president Mohammad Mursi.

In an television interview in Pakistan, Kerry said the removal of Mursi was at the request of "millions and millions of people".

The military was asked to intervene by millions and millions of people, all of whom were afraid of a descendance into chaos, into violence.

"And the military did not take over, to the best of our judgment - so far. To run the country, there's a civilian government. In effect, they were restoring democracy."

Agence France presse reported that the Kerry has also warned of further bloodshed.

He said Washington was "very, very concerned" about the killing of dozens of pro-Mursi protesters in clashes with security forces, calling it "absolutely unacceptable".

Kerry's remarks came as police prepare to disperse two pro-Morsi sit-ins in the capital, Cairo.

Thousands of supporters of Mursi have defied new warnings from the military-backed cabinet by continuing their sit-ins.

The main protest camp is at a square near the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in the capital's north-east, where clashes left some 70 people dead last Saturday, and in Nahda Square near the main campus of Cairo University.

Egypt's interior ministry has promised Mursi's backers "safe exit" if they quickly leave the camps.

The country's cabinet on Wednesday ordered police to end the protests, calling them a "national security threat".