The Higher Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces said Monday it is investigating allegations that its military police tortured detainees and forced women to undergo "virginity tests", dpa reported.
The army said in a statement that it had "taken the necessary measures to investigate the truth about these allegations and deal with them."
It is the first time the military, now in control of the country, has responded to the allegations in a formal statement.
The statement released on the army's official Facebook page, which it has used as a central means of connecting with Egyptian youth, urged young Egyptians to avoid spreading rumours that "tarnish" the country's image.
"We ask youth to not drift behind malicious rumours and slander that try to tarnish the image of honourable figures. These rumours only serve the goals of the revolution's enemies, whose goal is to create strife and chaos," said the statement.
The comments come amid allegations that Muhammad Tantawi, the head of Egypt's military and a long-time confidant of ousted president Hosny Mubarak, is carrying out the same oppressive tactics that spurred the revolt against the president.
Last week, Amnesty International joined Egyptian human rights groups in demanding that authorities investigate the torture allegations.
More than a dozen people said that they were detained by the army when it stepped in to forcibly remove protesters from Tahrir Square on March 9.
One of the protesters, Salwa el-Hosseiny Gouda, told journalists she was stripped naked in front of cameras before a man dressed in a white lab coat who checked her virginity at a military prison.
She claimed that anyone found not to be a virgin was threatened to be charged with prostitution.
Young men also said the army used electric shocks and abused them in the nearby Egyptian Museum after their arrest.
A protest is being called for this Friday in Tahrir Square to denounce torture in Egyptian prisons and a thorough military investigation into the allegations.