The wave of violence erupted after the murder of a military police officer on Sunday in the northwestern city of Porto Velho, a major state capital with one of the country’s highest homicide rates.
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Representational Image – Reuters
At least 11 people have died during a week of clashes between Brazilian police and one of the nation’s most influential criminal organizations in the Amazon region, according to a government report.
The violence began after a military police officer was killed on Sunday in Porto Velho, a northwestern state capital known for its high homicide rate.
In retaliation, authorities initiated an operation targeting the Comando Vermelho (Red Command). This criminal group has expanded its reach from Rio de Janeiro to other parts of Brazil and beyond its borders.
The Rondonia state security secretariat said in a report published Thursday that four people were killed in shootouts with police, and 14 people were arrested.
At least seven civilians were killed in retaliatory attacks on the population by Comando Vermelho, the report added.
Brazilian media reported that more than 20 buses and other vehicles had been set ablaze in the state.
Involved in extortion, drug trafficking and other criminal activities, Commando Vermelho has major influence in the Amazonas region.
Earlier in January, a Comando Vermelho bos