Hamas officials call it “the backup force” and insist the rifle-toting militants are simply police reinforcements working to end rampant chaos in the Gaza Strip. Their Fatah rivals call it “the black militia” and accuse the militants of spearheading a coup against Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The dispute over the force is the most visible display of the growing conflict between Hamas and Fatah that has repeatedly erupted in violence, killing nine people, badly wounding a top security commander and leaving some here fearing an all-out civil war. Full Story