Palestinian gunman kills rival militant in Lebanon

SIDON, Lebanon, Sep 22 (Reuters) A Palestinian gunman shot dead a member of another Palestinian militant group in southern Lebanon today, witnesses said.

They said a member of Usbat al-Ansar Islamist militant group killed Ali Abdel-Majeed, a militant with the Jund al-Sham faction just outside Ain el-Hilweh, the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon.

The motive behind the killing was not immediately clear.

Palestinian militants clash sporadically over authority inside the camp, which the Lebanese army does not enter.

Usbat al-Ansar follows the same strict interpretation of Sunni Islam as al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and has sent some of its members to fight against the US-led troops in Iraq. Some security analysts also link Jund al-Sham to al Qaeda.

Around 390,000 Palestinians live in 12 impoverished refugee camps across Lebanon.

Rival Lebanese leaders agreed in March to disarm Palestinian guerrillas outside the camps and tackle the issue of arms inside them, while also pledging to improve living conditions for Palestinians in Lebanon.

REUTERS DKA KP1620