Commander of the Operation Halt Task Force, Col. Eric Tenadu, has expressed the task force’s commitment to eradicating the illegal mining menace and removing illegal miners from the water bodies.

Addressing the media during an operation on the Birim River at Anyinam in the Atiwa East District of the Eastern Region, Col. Tenadu disclosed that the taskforce aims to rid the water bodies of mining activities.

He categorically stated that their targets are illegal miners operating on the water bodies.

“The joint taskforce has a clear and unambiguous mission of clearing all our water bodies of mining activities. We are not looking a whether the person has the required document or not, so far as you are on or along the water bodies, you are our target. We are trying to clear all of them from our water bodies to make sure that the water bodies return to the natural state we are looking for.”

Speaking about how some members of the military taskforce may be compromised by colluding with illegal miners, Col. Tenadu assured that his team is disciplined and committed to ensuring the job is done for the country’s benefit.

“I can assure that the soldiers I’m working with are disciplined. I have spoken to them and they know why we are here. We are going all out to achieve the results, so I don’t expect that they will compromise this operation. So far, they are all cooperating and working hard,” he assured.

The military, in collaboration with the Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners, stormed the Birim River, where they seized and burned three changfan machines, commonly used for illegal gold extraction along with other industrial equipment on the riverbank.

MAG/AE

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