RAMALLAH, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday declared that the Hamas-controlled Auxiliary Forces in
the Gaza Strip were illegal and outlawed.
Abbas' statement was announced by a spokesman and came as part of a reshuffle Abbas intends to make among security chiefs in a bid to end recent chaos in the
Palestinian Territories.
"As the existing security institutions failed to
impose respect of law and protect the people, the president has decided to make
a reshuffle among security commanders," the spokesman was quoted by Palestinian
official news agency Wafa as saying.
The spokesman added that Auxiliary Forces, controlled
by Interior Minister Said Siam and established in Gaza in the months after Hamas
took power in early 2006, were illegal and would be dealt with until they became
part of official security departments.
In the meantime, Islam Shahwan, a spokesman for the
Auxiliary Forces, has rejected Abbas' decision.
"The President has no right to sack the Auxiliary
Forces because they belong to Mr. Siam," Shahwan told Xinhua. "The forces are
also part of the interior ministry and the government."
Shahwan also reiterated that Abbas had approved the
formation of the forces in the past.
The Auxiliary Forces, consist mainly of Hamas
fighters, have participated in recent gunbattles between Hamas and Fatah
following Abbas' call for early elections.
When the forces were created last April, Interior
Minister Siam said that they were formed to help police imposing
order.
