They said that up to late yesterday three major joint Police/Army operations had been conducted in the village.

The first joint operation was around 02:15 hrs on Thursday, one on Thursday night and another yesterday which residents said was continuing up to last night.

During yesterday's operation, there were several reports of sporadic outbreaks of heavy gunfire in Buxton during the afternoon and into the night. Reports suggested that there was a standoff between the joint forces and gangs operating in Buxton.

According to unconfirmed reports, one man was shot dead in Buxton yesterday.

A resident said the Army used a 'front-end loader' to break down barriers which had set up in all the streets leading from the main road into the village.

Reports said the barriers in the centre of the streets in the village were made up of wood, posts, tree trunks, derelict vehicles and other old things and were put there by persons to prevent Police and Army vehicles and other 'outsiders' from easily entering and leaving Buxton.

Other reports indicated that as the 'front end loader' broke through the barriers, some residents used forks and shovels to dig a 'trench' across the road.

During all of this, however, traffic was reportedly flowing smoothly on both sides along the East Coast main road as ranks from the Guyana Defence Force maintained a heavy presence on the section in Buxton and nearby areas.

A GDF soldier died in a shootout on Thursday morning with a known criminal and another man during the first joint Police/Army cordon and search operation at Buxton.

Dead is Lance Corporal Shemton Dodson, of Artillery Company, Camp Stephenson, Timehri, and of Paradise Village, West Coast Berbice.

The GDF Public Relations Department said the shooting occurred around 02:15 hrs, at the corner of Barnwell Street and Church of God road, Buxton, during the joint GDF/Police operation.

According to the Army press release, the members of the GDF patrol were fired upon by three men. It said the patrol returned fire, killing two of the gunmen while the third escaped.

The wounded soldier was immediately rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Recovered from the scene of the shooting was one AK 47 assault rifle fitted with a retractable butt and three magazines containing live rounds.

Police Thursday identified one of the dead men as Mark Phillips also called `Big Batty Mark', deported from Cayenne in 1999. Phillips was wanted in connection with a series of murders committed on Policemen and civilians, as well as a number of robberies under arms, Police said.

The release said a wanted bulletin had earlier been issued for him.

Police yesterday said the second man fatally shot early Thursday morning during the joint Army/Police cordon and search operation at Buxton, had been identified.

A Police press release said he was Leslie Anthony Peters, 18, formerly of Den Amstel, West Coast Demerara. He was said to have last resided at Victoria and Buxton villages, East Coast Demerara. A third man believed to have been wounded in the shootout escaped, officials said.

A source also said that Phillips, along with Seon Gittens and Christopher Belle, also called `Magga' were also involved in several kidnappings.

Phillips was reportedly involved in the kidnapping of the United States diplomat Steve Lesniak, last month, the source said.

Gittens was recently killed in Buxton and Belle, who Police said was wanted for the murder of a Policeman and a series of armed robberies, was found dead with several bullet wounds to his head, under a house south of the Buxton Railway Embankment around April 14 last.

His body was found in a chair beneath a house which belonged to the mother of another wanted man, Sheldon Bacchus.

Bacchus' bullet riddled body was found aback of Durban Backlands, Georgetown, a few weeks ago.