Soldiers join police in Brazil crackdown

RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- Brazil's national government deployed 800 soldiers to help police purge Rio de Janeiro slums of drug gang members, the defense minister said.

At a news conference Saturday, Defense Minister Nelson Jobim said the troops would be backed by two helicopters and 10 armored vehicles, the BBC reported.

For the past week, more than 20,000 police officers have surrounded the hillside shantytowns that have long been known bases for drug smugglers. As of Saturday, 35 people had been killed in gun battles, the report said.

Gen. Fernando Sardenberg, one of the military commanders, told the O Globo newspaper the military's role was to surround the slums and prevent alleged gang members from escaping and relocating elsewhere.

The decision to launch an all-out offensive on the gangs was precipitated in part by the desire to clean up the city before it hosts soccer's World Cup in 2014 and the Summer Olympics in 2016, the report said.