At least 27 people are dead in Kingston amid an all-out police assault on a Christopher "Dudus" Coke stronghold Tivoli Gardens, a all out push that began Monday by the police and JDF.
Security forces have been fighting people who want to prevent the extradition to the United States of Christopher "Dudus" Coke, who was charged last year in U.S. federal court with conspiracy to distribute marijuana and cocaine and with conspiracy to illegally traffic in firearms.
Of the 27 killed, 26 were civilians and one was a Jamaican Defense Force member; 25 civilians and six defense force members were injured as security forces battled criminal elements in Tivoli Gardens and Denham Town, officials said.
Security forces have confiscated firearms, ammunition, binoculars, army fatigues and ballistic vests and are conducting searches, the government officals have said.
The attack came after residents blocked roads in the area to restrict access to police and military. The violence then spread to Spanish Town, about 20 minutes outside the capital, where armed thugs blocked a major road and a bridge that serves as a link between Montego Bay and Kingston.
Monday's unrest came after two police officers were killed and six others were wounded in shooting late Sunday near Norman Manley International Airport, just outside of Kingston.