Brazil military holds final exercise in the Amazon

Brazilian military units staged a final and showy exercise on Wednesday, the last of a months-long deployment to the Amazon, designed to show the country is ready to "defend its territory," according to the Army commander in charge.

The army deployed paratroopers, staged landings by infantry units and fired missiles and artillery during drills. The exercise took place in Porto Careiro, a small hamlet on the banks of the Solimois River, some 80 kilometers upstream from Manaus, the capital of the vast Amazons State.

The Commander of the Brazilian Army, General Paulo Sergio, insists the drills are an annual routine, and are not related to international criticism of the country's Amazon policy. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announced in June he is sending troops back to the Amazon rainforest to bolster policing against logging and other illegal land clearance, acting amid international criticism of a surge in deforestation and just two months after withdrawing a similar military mission.