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Palestinian security forces to enter refugee camp within 24 hours

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BEIRUT, July 2 (RIA Novosti) - Joint Palestinian security forces will be sent to a refugee camp in northern Lebanon within the next 24 hours, a Lebanese newspaper said Monday.

"A unit comprised of 300 men [...] will start its mission within the next 24 hours," Ad-Diyar quoted a Fatah representative as saying.

A Lebanese official declined to comment on the statement, while Palestinians may only send their troops to Nahr al-Bared with the consent of the Lebanese military command.

The Nahr al-Bared camp, one of 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, has been torn apart by a month of fighting that has left more than 160 people dead, including 80 Lebanese soldiers and more than 30 civilians. Over 300 Palestinian militants have been killed or wounded.

Most of the territory surrounding the refugee camp is a conglomerate of multi-story buildings seriously damaged in clashes between the Lebanese army and Palestinian militants that have been continuing since May 20.

The Lebanese military command has demanded the unconditional surrender of Fatah al-Islam, reportedly linked to al-Qaeda, and refused to conduct direct talks with the Islamist group.

The majority of the camp's 40,000 residents fled to the nearby Beddawi refugee camp in the early stages of the current conflict.

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