On 30 March Rio de Janeiro witnessed a combined-force occupation of a favela complex comparable to those carried out in 2010 (Complexo do Alemão and Vila Cruzeiro) and 2011 (Rocinha). The main force was a contingent of about 1,200 state military police drawn from three special units (Gope, Choque and Ações com Cães) spearheaded by 21 armoured vehicles provided by the navy and accompanied by an unspecified number of civil police officers. It took 15 minutes for them to take control of 15 communities within the complex; not a single shot was fired. There were fewer military than anticipated, and the target was not one of those that had been bandied about in the media.End of preview - This article contains approximately 1003 words.
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