BEIRUT- The Lebanese army is demanding the handover of several wanted Islamist extremists said to be hiding in Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Helweh, an army spokesman told AFP Thursday. "The deputy head of army intelligence, Colonel Abbas Ibrahim, and the head of intelligence for the south, Colonel Ali Shahrur, met on Tuesday with representatives of the various factions and residents of Ain el-Helweh and asked them to hand over suspects wanted in attacks against the army," the spokesman said. He said Palestinian officials indicated that they were willing to cooperate with the army to prevent "terrorists from seeking refuge in the camp and to hand over those wanted."

The spokesman identified the main suspect as Abdul Rahman Awad, who is said to have taken over the leadership of Fatah al-Islam, a shadowy Al-Qaeda-inspired group that fought a fierce three-month battle with the Lebanese army last year. The fighting in the Palestinian camp of Nahr al-Bared, located in northern Lebanon, left some 400 people dead, including 168 soldiers. Two car bombings in August and September also targeted the army in the northern city of Tripoli leaving 21 people dead, including 13 soldiers

Kamal Medhat, a Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) official, told AFP that Palestinian factions were putting pressure on the suspects to surrender to Lebanese authorities. "If they don't do so, we will take other measures," Medhat said. "Any use of force will be undertaken by Palestinian factions. "We will not allow any fugitives to seek refuge in the camp. "We will not allow a repeat of what happened in Nahr al-Bared because factions in Ain el-Helweh do not want the camp to become a safe haven for wanted people."

Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon are considered highly volatile and fertile breeding grounds for extremists. The army does not enter the camps, leaving responsibility for security to Palestinian factions. The battle of Nahr al-Bared marked the first time the army had entered one of Lebanon's 12 refugee camps, which were set up following the creation of Israel in 1948. With some 45,000 residents, Ain el-Helweh is the largest of the camps. It is located on the outskirts of the southern port city of Sidon.