US Backs Brazil, Colombia and Peru Amazon Military Drill

Almost 2,000 soldiers from Brazil, Colombia and Peru are participating in a military drill with the support of the United States in the Brazilian Amazon, which they claim is in preparation for "humanitarian emergency actions."

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The exercises are attended by 1,550 troops from Brazil, 150 from Colombia, 120 from Peru and about 30 from the United States, according to HispanTV. About 10 military members from Canada, France, Great Britain and Japan are also part of the drill.

The Brazilian Defense Ministry said this was a logistical exercise "unprecedented in South America," and will take place until Nov. 13 in Tabatinga, a town in the Brazilian state of Amazonas.

U.S. participation stirred controversy inside Brazil's Lower House during a debate on the military exercise, especially from parties opposed to President Michel Temer's government. 

Glauber Braga, the leader of the Socialist and Freedom Party, PSOL, said the measure could represent the possibility of loss of sovereignty and subordination to the United States.

Braga had previously sent a request in October to the Defense Minister Raul Jungmann and Army Commander Eduardo Villas Boas to receive more information on U.S. involvement in the drills.

It's not the first time that the Brazilian troops work with U.S. troops. Last year, marine forces from both countries carried out a preparatory drill ahead of the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, which they announced would prevent possible "terrorist attacks."

Bolivia refused to participate in the coordinated joint military exercises after many critics expressed concern that it will serve as a pretext for the establishment of an international military base in conjunction with the United States in the region.