18 Fatah militants wounded during Rafah riots

At least 18 member of al-Aqsa martyrs' brigades, the militaty wing of the Fatah movement, were wounded on Monday in armed fights with Palestinian security soldiers in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah, Palestinian sources said.

Local reports quoted the sources as saying that the militants were shot wounded while heading to the military intelligence in Rafah and trying to break the doors down and take it over.

Local witnesses affirmed that scores of al-Aqsa Brigades memberswent into gun fight with supporters of Musa Arafat, the new head ofPalestinian General Security, and 18 of the Fatah clashers were wounded.

On Sunday, Palestinian gunmen attacked a base of the military intelligence in the southern Gaza Strip of Khan Younis, putting it into blaze.

Also on Monday, thousands of Palestinians took to Gaza streets asking President Yasser Arafat to dismiss his Musa Arafat, his relative.

The Gaza Strip has been going through a state of anarchy following the three abduction operations last week and issuing a presidential decree appointing Musa Arafat as the head of the Palestinian General Security as well as the head of military intelligence.

The decree which met a wide resentment in several Palestinian parties, including al-Aqsa martyrs' brigades.

Well-informed security sources said Monday that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has reinstalled former general security chief Abdel Razeq al-Majayda and replaced his cousin Musa Arafat to placate the inner revolt.

Arafat telephoned Gen. Majayda earlier in the day to inform him to go back to his former position as chief of general security in the Palestinian territories, revealed the sources.

Source: Xinhua