Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday issued an immediate ban on all armed militia operating in the Palestinian territories, including those affiliated to his own Fatah movement.

"The armed militia and the irregular military or paramilitary formations are forbidden from carrying out any underground or public activities, and anyone assisting them will be subject to legal inquiry," Abbas said in a new presidential decree.

This follows last week's official banning of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Fatah's adversary, which took over Abbas' security headquarters in the Gaza Strip 12 days ago.

Abbas called on his emergency government "to end the phenomena of armed groups" and to "ban and confiscate all weapons, ammunition, explosives and other unlicensed fighting material as well as any material that cause danger to public order."

Abbas published this move upon his return to Ramallah from a summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, which saw Abbas meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah II.

The decree, signed by Abbas as chief commander of the Palestinian forces, is seen as mainly being a move to take out of commission Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, and the al-Quds brigades which act as the military wing of the radical Islamic Jihad (Holy War).

These two main militia are continuing anti-Israeli operations in the West Bank.

Members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades have already stated they will not put down their weapons until Israel pledges to stop pursuing them and safety guarantees are received.

Israel so far has refused to comment on whether it would stop trying to capture or kill Palestinian militants on its wanted list, but did say the matter would be broached by through a joint Palestinian-Israeli committee.

(Xinhua News Agency June 27, 2007)