A small war took place last week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between Brazilian forces and hundreds of drug traffickers holed up in the shantytown complex dubbed Complexo do Alemão. After recent efforts by officials to pacify Rio's drug and gang-related violence ahead of the upcoming the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics Games, drug gangs struck out last week - attacking police stations and staging mass robberies. After days of preparation, Brazilian security forces launched a raid in the Complexo do Alemão, where between 500 and 600 drug traffickers were holed up. At least 42 people were killed in the violence last week, with security forces taking control of many neighborhoods. A relatively low number of arrests were made, and authorities warn of further conflict as continue to flush out more suspects in Rio's maze of favelas.
Alleged drug traffickers who did not want to identify themselves, pose for a photo as they stand on a street at a slum in western Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Nov. 7, 2010. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
A general view of the Complexo do Alemão slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
A bus burns on Maria da Graca neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro November 26, 2010. (REUTERS/Sergio Moraes)
Alleged drug dealers, one holding a weapon, ride a motorcycle through an intersection in the Morro de Alemão shantytown, on November 27, 2010 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (EVARISTO SA/AFP/Getty Images)
A military policeman takes position during the raid in the Morro do Alemão shantytown on November 28, 2010 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (JEFFERSON BERNARDES/AFP/Getty Images)
Police move to positions during an operation against alleged drug traffickers at the Complexo do Alemão slum, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010. Rio police backed by helicopters and armored vehicles started invading a shantytown complex long held by traffickers on Sunday, slowly moving their way through small alleys amid heavy gunfire. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
People react after shooting set a house on fire during a conjoined operation at the Complexo do Alemão slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Nov. 27, 2010. Soldiers and police crouching behind armored vehicles trained their rifles on dozens of entrances to a sprawling slum Saturday, preparing to invade and try to push drug gangs out an area long considered the most dangerous in Rio de Janeiro. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
Army soldiers, police and journalists take positions during an operation by the authorities at Alemão slum in Rio de Janeiro November 27, 2010. (REUTERS/Sergio Moraes)
An armed suspected armed drug gang member takes position behind a resident during an operation at Grota slum in Rio de Janeiro November 26, 2010. (REUTERS/Sergio Moraes)
A policeman looks through his binoculars during an operation against drug traffickers at the Complexo do Alemão slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
An armored vehicle of the Brazilian Army rolls over a blockade during an operation at Alemão slum in Rio de Janeiro November 28, 2010. Police positioned armored vehicles on the edge of a Rio de Janeiro slum at dusk on Saturday in preparation for a possible offensive to root out drug traffickers. (REUTERS/Bruno Domingos)
A child reacts during a shooting as a result of a police operation against drug traffickers at the Complexo do Alemão in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Nov. 27, 2010. (AP Photo/ Silvia Izquierdo)
A photographer takes a position behind an empty water tank during an operation at Alemão slum in Rio de Janeiro on November 27, 2010. (REUTERS/Sergio Moraes MEDIA)
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