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Police members after a Shining Path attack on the Tingo María police station
Police members after a Sendero attack on the police post of Tingo María, Huánuco, which occurred in July 1984 and in which four police officers perished. The subversives also dynamited the branches of the Banco de Crédito, the Banco de la Nación, and the offices of the Justice of the Peace and the Municipal Council. In order to seize local authority, the subversive strategy destroyed the scarce presence of the State in Andean towns and the weak connection of state services. In this context the police forces were the first State organizations to be systematically attacked by Sendero Luminoso at the most unexpected moments. The subversives exploited the element of surprise and the general lack of police protection.