Armored vehicles rumbling through narrow alleys. Rifle shots cracking in heavy crossfire. Helicopters and weaponized drones firing from above. Soldiers in military gear engaged in violent combat. Bodies scattered on blood-slicked streets.

These could be scenes from a war zone. But on October 28, they unfolded not on a desolate battlefield but on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro — a postcard city better known for its breathtaking coastline and lively bossa nova music scene.

“Operation Containment” brought 2,500 police officers, soldiers and snipers up the slopes of Rio’s Complexo da Penha and Complexo do Alemão favelas, home to roughly 110,000 people.

A man stands next to cars burnt during a barricade in Rio's Complexo da Penha on October 28. Mauro Pimentel/AFP/Getty Images

Their target was the Comando Vermelho (CV), or Red Command, a criminal organization that has ruled these hillside shantytowns for decades. During the operation, at least 117 suspected gunmen and four police officers were killed, and about 100 people were arrested. Authorities said they seized 118 weapons, including 91 rifles and 14 explosive devices, as well as a ton of drugs.

The raid followed a year-long investigation into the Red Command and was triggered in part by the gang’s expansion into new territories, a recent surge in violence and an effort by authorities to reassert state control.

Officials called the raid a success. But with at least 121 dead, and early reports putting the toll at 132, the operation drew sharp criticism from local and international human rights groups. It also laid bare a deep divide over how to confront Brazil’s entrenched organized crime syndicates.

Life in a crossfire

“It’s not the first time we see blood being spilled for a ‘greater good,’” said Thainã de