1 dead, 2 injured in clashes at Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp

Source : Xinhua

BEIRUT, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Fierce clashes erupted in the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon around midnight on Saturday, leaving one killed and two others injured.

The clashes between the Bilal Badr Islamist Salafist group and Fatah movement took place at the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon.

The victim was identified as Moawiya Mathloum, while the injured included a woman called Mirna Shahatha and another man, state-run National News Agency reported.

The conflict continued until the early hours of Sunday morning.

The Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp has been the scene of recurring violence as Islamist and secular Palestinian factions vie for power within the area. According to long-standing convention, the Lebanese army does not enter the 12 refugee camps on its soil but leaves security to the Palestinians themselves.

So far, 400,000 Palestinian refugees are living in the 12 camps.