BRIDGETOWN, Barbados Alarmed by a dramatic increase in narcotics-related violence in the Caribbean, the Obama administration is pledging to help island nations combat drug and weapons traffickers.

United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, in Barbados for a regional meeting of foreign ministers, unveiled the administration's $124 million Caribbean Basin Security Initiative today, intended to help countries counter the illegal narcotics and arms trade and help prosecute offenders.

"We all know well that addressing transnational security challenges in the 21st century requires a comprehensive approach," Clinton said.

The programme augments similar US cooperation efforts in Mexico, Central America and Colombia and helps Caribbean countries deal with any increase in crime that results from successes there.

Caribbean islands had one of their *lo**iest years on record in 2009 as they battled drug crime, with Jamaica, the Bahamas and Puerto Rico hitting or coming close to all-time highs for homicides.

Clinton also expressed sympathy with Caribbean nations about the potential impact of the Gulf oil spill on their shores. Some scientists fear the spill could affect the Bahamas and Jamaica.