Israeli soldiers kill 3 Palestinians in gunbattles

JENIN, West Bank, May 14 (Reuters) - Israeli troops killed a Palestinian officer and two militants today during raids in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian security sources said.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said soldiers in the town of Jenin exchanged fire with gunmen during a raid to detain wanted militants. She said the troops reported one Palestinian was hit by gunfire, but could not confirm he was killed.

Palestinian sources said the soldiers shot dead Ali Omar Jabarin, a 21-year-old intelligence officer, and wounded four of his colleagues during a gunbattle at their Jenin headquarters.

In a separate incident, an Israeli force killed two Islamic Jihad militants during an exchange of fire in the village of Qabatiya, near Jenin. One died at the scene and the other died later of his injuries, Palestinian medics said.

Israel mounts frequent military raids in the West Bank against suspected militants. Some members of the Palestinian security forces also belong to armed groups behind attacks on Israelis.

Earlier in the Gaza Strip, masked gunmen shot and wounded a Palestinian bodyguard for an intelligence chief reporting to President Mahmoud Abbas, security officials said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the shooting, another case of internal violence in the Gaza Strip where rivalry between the governing Hamas group and Abbas's Fatah faction has led to bloodshed in recent weeks.

Reuters