Operation Lethal Fire - Ecuadorian Army deploys BATTLE tanks to combat illegal mineral extraction on border

"The Ecuadorian Army launched an operation against an illegal mining site in El Chical, in Carchi province on the country's northern border, the Defence Ministry said. The site was generating around $300,000 a day for 'illegal economies,' according to the officials. Footage filmed on Friday shows soldiers carrying out strikes in a mountainous area, with tanks used against illegal mining for the first time. The Defence Ministry said the four-day operation, named Lethal Fire, involved 'sustained fire' and led to the destruction of about 50 mining tunnels, weakening illicit structures. "We are carrying out a plan to neutralise these illegal mining tunnels, which have been identified as military targets and are damaging both our territory and illegal-economy networks," said a soldier involved in the operation. In contrast, a resident of El Chical questioned the attacks and expressed his discontent with the government. "The government is wrong. That is why I say the country needs new presidential elections. We should not give him our vote again or continue supporting him, just as rural people are no longer being supported. What would happen if all those miners turned instead to theft and robbery?" he said. Ecuador's Defence Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo said on X that the government had 'declared war' on irregular armed groups and 'illegal mining mafias,' warning that they had little time left and "only two options: prison or hell.""

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