At least 27 people, almost all civilians, have died in the gun battles in Jamaica, police have said, that the hunt continues for a suspected drug lord.
Troops and police had stormed with the stronghold of Christopher "Dudus" Coke in the Tivoli Gardens district of the capital Kingston.
A state of emergency has been in place in all parts of Kingston since Friday, when several police stations were attacked.
A decision to extradite Mr Coke, 41, to the US had angered his supporters.
Mr Coke, who insists he is a legitimate businessman, enjoys the support of many impoverished Kingston residents who see him as a benefactor and have vowed to protect him at any cost.
But the US justice department accuses him of being one of the world's most dangerous drug barons.
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As hundreds of troops and police officers close in on alleged drug lord Christopher Coke, explosions and steady gun fire can be heard throughout the Tivoli Gardens neighborhood of Kingston, Jamaica. Plumes of smoke are rising from the barricaded community and journalists are hearing reports of as many as 15 dead, but caution that at this time they are unable to confirm that tally.
PHOTO Heavily armed police patrolled the Jamaican capital on Monday after at least three people were killed in an outbreak of violence by suspected supporters of an alleged drug lord who faces extradition to the United States
Armed police officers patrol a street in Kingston, in this May 24, 2010 frame grab. Heavily armed police patrolled the Jamaican capital on Monday after at least three people were killed in an outbreak of violence by suspected supporters of an alleged drug lord who faces extradition to the United States. Collapse
Coke is wanted by U.S. authorities for alleged drug and firearms offenses committed while running an international drug gang called the Shower Posse out of the Jamaican capital's slums. Earlier Monday, he told the Jamaican police who are trying to capture him so he can be extradited to the U.S., "I will not surrender," according to U.S. authorities.
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At least 27 people, almost all civilians, have died in the gun battles in Jamaica, police have said, that the hunt continues for a suspected drug lord.
