- Title: JAMAICA: Several soldiers injured as clashes continue in Kingston
- Date: 25th May 2010
- Summary: KINGSTON, JAMAICA (MAY 24, 2010) (REUTERS) SOLDIERS RUN WITH STRETCHER TO A WOUNDED SOLDIER ON KINGSTON'S WATERFRONT VARIOUS OF JAMAICAN SOLDIERS ON THE WATERFRONT IN KINGSTON SOLDIER WITH MACHINE GUN JAMAICAN SOLDIER LOOKING THROUGH BINOCULARS GROUP OF JAMAICAN SOLDIERS RUNNING SOLDIERS LAYING PRONE COAST GUARD VESSEL VARIOUS OF INJURED SOLDIERS BEING TAKEN OFF A TRUCK AND ATTENDED TO BY FELLOW SOLDIERS
- Embargoed: 9th June 2010 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Jamaica
- City:
- Country: Jamaica
- Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,Defence / Military
- Reuters ID: LVAA8367PCC0SFLFWZSP64IA4UTR
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: At least two soldiers were wounded on Monday (May 24) as Jamaican security forces clashed with gunmen for a second straight day, after at least three people were killed in violence linked to an alleged drug lord who faces extradition to the United States.
The soldiers were wounded in the volatile Tivoli Gardens neighborhood of Kingston before being taken by truck to Kingston's waterfront, where they were attended to by army medics.
The firefights came a day after the government declared a state of emergency in volatile sections of the capital as Prime Minister Bruce Golding vowed "strong and decisive action" to restore order.
The limited emergency in Jamaica, a popular Caribbean tourism destination, covered districts where gunmen shot up or set fire to five police stations on Sunday.
Officials said at least two policemen and one civilian were killed and seven police officers wounded in the attacks, which were accompanied by reports of looting and carjackings.
The assailants are suspected allies of Christopher "Dudus" Coke and the government has called on him to surrender to face a U.S. judicial request seeking his extradition on cocaine trafficking and gun-running charges.
Helmeted police in flak jackets and brandishing automatic assault rifles tried unsuccessfully to storm past makeshift barricades and infiltrate the poor Tivoli Gardens area of West Kingston where Coke was believed to be hiding.
They were forced to retreat after masked gunmen opened fire on them from high-rise buildings overlooking the barricades, which closed off seven main streets leading into the area.
The normally bustling streets were mostly deserted, as the country marked its Labor Day national holiday and motorists and passersby steered clear of the trouble spot.
The United States requested Coke's extradition in August last year but Jamaica initially refused, alleging that evidence against Coke had been gathered through illegal wiretaps. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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