Nearly 3000 Brazilian troops are raiding one of Rio de Janeiro's most dangerous shanty towns in the biggest operation since the crackdown on powerful drugs gangs in the city.
Tanks, helicopters and armoured vehicles are being used in the operation at the Favela da Mare district.
The BBC reports that elite troops are expected to remain in the area until after the tournament.
For decades the area, near Rio's international airport, has been controlled by some of the city's most powerful drug gangs.
Turf wars between rival groups have often forced the closure of the highway linking the city centre to the airport and other key access roads to Rio, where the World Cup final will be played.
A paramilitary police helicopter flying over the Favela da Mare complex in Rio de Janeiro. Photo: AFP
The soldiers will replace policemen who entered the area last Sunday in the first stage of the occupation.
Three hundred of the 2000 military police officers who took part in last week's operation have remained in the community.
The operation comes two months before the start of the football World Cup.
They are expected to leave once the 2700 soldiers - most of them elite army troops - secure the area.
The air space above the shanty town has been closed indefinitely, which will force planes to change their landing and take-off routes.
The World Cup will begin in Sao Paulo on 12 June and will end in Rio's famous Maracana stadium on 13 July.
