Residents walk through the slum as dozens of police officers, in camouflaged uniform hold machine guns from behind heavy-duty navy trucks
* 1,400 armed police and marines have stormed one of Brazil's biggest slums in bulletproof trucks
* Helicopters circle as scores of military point guns at residents as they walk through the streets in which they live
* Operation to rid Complexo da Mare, home to more than 130,000 residents, of violence and drug gangs started today
* Since 2011, government has cracked down on slums within the city ahead of World Cup which begins in June
* Brazilian police have attracted widespread criticism following use of violence and 'covered-up' murders
Helicopters circle the Mare slum complex in Rio de Janeiro. The slum - 'favela' in Portuguese - is home to some 130,000 residents
One police officer is pictured here holding a man up against a wall while he searches him. Troops took over the favela this afternoon - six weeks before the World Cup
Federal forces are here pictured entering the violence-plagued Complexo da Mare - one of Brazil's biggest slums - 'favelas' in Portuguese.
These pictures show troops storming the favela bearing guns in bullet-proof vehicles while a helicopter circles above.
The faces of the 130,000 residents who live on the Mare complex have also been pictured. Mare is formed of 16 separate communities and has been riddled with drugs and dominated by gangs and militias.
It is close to Rio's international airport, which means that visitors must drive past it on their way into the city.
Senior officials have denied that the Mare clean-up is related to the World Cup - claiming that they aim to improve the lives of Rio favela residents.
Today, daily life in one of Rio de Janerio's biggest shanty towns was disrupted by military personnel in an attempted to clean up the city before the World Cup
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