38,000 Brazilian troops to safeguard 2016 Rio Olympics

A staggering 38,000 Brazilian troops will ensure security during the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games here, the defense ministry has announced.

"The objective is to take preventive action," the ministry's special adviser for major events, Xinhua quoted Gen. Jamil Megid Junior, the ministry's special advisor, as saying in a communique on Tuesday.

In addition to the army troops, members of the navy and air force will be on standby during the world's largest sporting event.

Most of the 38,000 troops will be stationed in Rio, where the Games will be held, however some soldiers will also be dispatched to cities hosting Olympic football matches, including Sao Paulo, Brasilia, Belo Horizonte, Salvador and Manaus.

The ministry expects to spend some 580 million reals (about $190 million) in 2014, 2015 and 2016 on security for the Olympic Games.

That figure includes the purchase of materials and equipment, "especially for preventing chemical, biological, nuclear and radiation incidents, and the prevention of terrorism and cyber attacks," the ministry said.

--Indo-Asian new Service

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