 Following over a decade of an authoritarian government in Peru, elections were held in 1980.Leftist armed groups arose, such as the Shining Path and later the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA).The Marines began counterterrorist operations against such groups stationed in the Ayacucho Region from 1985 to 1991, creating Task Force 90, later expanding to Ucayali, Huánuco and Loreto.