Troops hunt Jamaican drug lord Dudus Coke

A raid by troops and police failed to capture Dudus Coke.

KINGSTON // Jamaican forces raided the stronghold of a drug lord wanted by the US, sparking battles with gangsters that left three people dead. Several men were arrested after troops and police raided the impoverished neighbourhood of the capital where Christopher "Dudus" Coke is based, but Mr Coke was not among them, the national security minister, Dwight Nelson, said on Monday.

One soldier was killed when security forces stormed into the Tivoli Gardens area on Monday, breaking through barricades erected by supporters of Mr Coke, who is the subject of an extradition order to the United States. The prime minister, Bruce Golding, was expected to address the House of Representatives yesterday to update them on the situation, two days after his government declared a state of emergency amid the worst internal unrest for years.

Explosions shook the area on Monday sending out thick plumes of smoke, a day after two policemen were killed and two members of the security forces sustained injuries. Mr Nelson said on national television that he had received unconfirmed reports of several civilian deaths and the airwaves were full of desperate pleas from residents pinned inside buildings by gunfire. The ruling Jamaica Labour Party tried to reassure citizens, saying the raids were "inescapable and unavoidable".

Police advised people to remain indoors in Kingston, where power was cut off overnight, describing the threat level as "grave". As Jamaican bloodbanks sought emergency donations, the deputy police commissioner, Glenmore Hinds, said: "You must realise, we are fighting a war." Mr Coke enjoys support among some Kingston residents who see him as a sort of local Robin Hood, helping impoverished Jamaicans. Thousands marched in support of him late last week.

But the US justice department has labelled him among the "world's most dangerous narcotics kingpins". He is accused of leading since the 1990s an international gang known as the Shower Posse, which US prosecutors say sells marijuana and crack cocaine in the New York area and elsewhere. He was formally charged in the United States in August with conspiracy to traffic drugs and illegal weapons, and if convicted faces mandatory life imprisonment.

The head of the Organization of the Americas, Jose Miguel Insulza, said the body "backs with all our force the Jamaican government". The US Embassy suspended non-essential services while some countries have advised against travel to Kingston and several airlines cancelled flights. * Agence France-Presse