Three Palestinians Hurt in Clashes in Lebanese Refugee Camp

BEIRUT - Three Islamic fundamentalists were wounded during a clash between rival groups inside a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, Palestinian sources said Sunday.

The clash erupted between members of the Ousbat al Nour - dubbed the Dinnyeh group - and Ousbat al Ansaar at the Ain el Hilweh camp in southern Lebanon.

The injured included one member of Ousbat al Ansaar and two from the Ousbat al Nour.

The clash broke out after members of the mainstream Fatah movement last week decided to remove at least three Ousbat al Nour members hiding in the camp.

The men are wanted by Lebanese authorities who suspect them of having links with the al-Qaida network.

A fourth suspect, also wanted by Lebanese authorities, was killed last Tuesday in a clash inside the camp.

Other Ousbat al Nour members will be allowed to remain in the camp under the surveillance of the Ousbat al Ansaar.

Ousbat al Nour rebels arrived at the camp two years ago after fleeing northern Lebanon by boat.

Tensions have been running high at Ain el-Hilweh since Islamic groups were last month forced to hand over Lebanese fundamentalist Badih Hamade, who was accused of killing three Lebanese army intelligence officers.

About 367,000 Palestinian refugees live in Lebanon, more than half of them at the country's squalid refugee camps.

Lebanese authorities have not entered the Palestinian refugee camps since 1969, but maintain a tight security presence around them.