The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has launched investigations into reports that some of its members have been protecting illegal miners degrading the forest of Manso in the Ashanti region.

In a press release signed by the Director Public Relations Colonel Aggrey-Quashie, GAF emphasized that they do not take the allegations lightly, neither do they condone wrongdoing, if found to be true.

"Accordingly a full scale investigation has commenced into the allegations and appropriate sanctions will be handed out to any person(s) found culpable."

This comes after Luv News team secured evidence of over 30 fully armed military men protecting illegal miners - whose activities have degraded the Manso forest - despite the withdrawal of all military personnel from mining sites across the country.

These men, presumed to be with the military owing to their uniforms were in a near-brawl with the taskforce and news team, resulting in damages to the windscreen and side-mirror of Luv FM's vehicle.

"From what we are seeing here, it looks like there's some military men are involved in this whole activity in this forest, because looking at their uniforms, some have names on them.

"Looking at it, it I think the military were the people protecting them here to do this illegal job," said one of the members of the Environmental Sustainability taskforce.

Seven Chinese nationals stationed at the mining site who were arrested by the task force were later released by the men in military uniform.

The Armed Forces have, however, assured "the general public of its unflinching commitment to the national cause."