BRAZIL
Street Fighting Men
Brazil doubled down on its aggressive strategy for combating drug-related violence Monday in the wake of a report flagging a spike in murders and the number of people killed in confrontations with police since it deployed federal troops in Rio de Janeiro six months ago.
At least five civilians and one soldier died in shootouts in northern Rio de Janeiro Monday and at least six suspected gangsters were killed the same day near a bridge linking Rio and the neighboring city of Niteroi as the authorities deployed some 4,200 soldiers and 70 police, as well as armored vehicles and aircraft, in early morning raids, Reuters reported.
“The operations are ongoing and there could be more deaths,” the army said in an email to the news agency.
President Michel Temer announced emergency measures that allowed the military to assume control of policing in the state of Rio de Janeiro a little more than six months ago to try to quell drug-related violence. Murders rose 5 percent and the number of people killed in confrontations with police spiked 35 percent since the decision.
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