KINGSTON, Jamaica -- The U.S. State Department issued a public
                 announcement Monday advising U.S. citizens living in or traveling to
                 Jamaic a to "exercise caution in Kingston, Jamaica's capital."

                 The notice says there have been "ongoing gun battles between security
                 forces and politically-affiliated gangs in West Kingston" which have resulted in
                 roads and streets to the Norman Manley International Airport being
                 blocked for periods of time.

                 Jamaica's prime minister has called out the army to restore order following
                 three days of violence that took the lives of at least 20 people, including two
                 police officers and a soldier. More than 30 people have been injured.

                 The State Department announcement said while
                 American are "strongly urged to avoid West
                 Kingston" as well as downtown Kingston,
                 violence has not been reported outside the
                 Kingston area.

                 Violence broke out over the weekend between
                 the police and gunmen in West Kingston's Tivoli
                 Gardens, a stronghold of the political opposition
                 Jamaica Labor Party, but came after months of
                 escalating tensions between the country's two main political parties.

                 Police were searching for fugitives, guns and ammunition. Opposition
                 supporters were seen blocking intersections to inhibit the movement of troops
                 and police.

                 The unrest could affect the island's $1.3 billion tourism industry, although most
                 visitors go to resorts in the north and west of the island, while the violence has
                 been concentrated in the southeast.