The Information Ministry has held a press conference to provide updates on the ongoing Operation Halt, an enhanced exercise to rid the country’s water bodies and forests of illegal mining, also known as galamsey.

Information Minister, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah hosted Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul and Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor to address the nation on the third phase of the operation.

According to the Defence Minister, River Pra and Ofin River have been cleared of illegal miners and their equipment in the first two phases of the operation.

After covering some 120 kilometres between May 7 and 9 this month, 28 excavators, 267 changfans with platforms, 18 water pumping machines and a milling machine were destroyed during the exercise which was carried out by 400 security personnel.

The others included a dredging machine, two industrial pumps, 10 plastic fuel tanks, five canoes, a wooden structure eight industrial batteries, and a washing platform.