Jamaican PM Golding Vows to Restore Order to Kingston

Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding has vowed to restore order after at least 31 deaths during an anti-drug offensive in Kingston. He said he regretted the loss of life as security forces battled fighters loyal to a suspected drug trafficker sought by the US.

Golding said police would continue searching for illegal guns and crime suspects. The whereabouts of alleged drug lord Christopher "Dudus" Coke are unknown. He has thousands of loyal followers who have promised to protect him at any cost.

Golding who approved Mr Coke's extradition to the US last week after a delay of nine months, reported to parliament on the crisis.

"The operation being carried out under emergency powers are extraordinary measures but they are an extraordinary response to an extraordinary challenge to the safety and security of our citizens," he was quoted by BBC News as saying.

Police say they have detained more than 200 people and seized arms and ammunition in an operation involving thousands of police and soldiers, heavily armed and backed by armored cars and helicopters.

New gun battles raged on Tuesday as police and soldiers searched Kingston's Tivoli Gardens district for Coke. The fighting has intermittently blocked the road to Kingston's airport and forced some flights to be canceled.

Western countries such as the US and Britain have warned their citizens against travel to Kingston and its surrounding area in the current circumstances.