RIO DE JANEIRO – A massive police raid targeting a drug-trafficking gang in Rio de Janeiro left at least 121 people dead, authorities said Thursday morning.

The operation began Tuesday in two of the city’s favelas, sparking intense gun battles. An unknown number of people were wounded. Among the dead were four police officers, according to officials.

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Human rights organizations have called for investigations into the deaths, describing the operation as one of the most violent in Brazil’s recent history.

Police said the raid followed a yearlong investigation into the Red Command, a criminal gang that controls drug trafficking and other illicit activities in the low-income communities of Complexo do Alemao and Penha. The group originated in Rio’s prison system and

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