Ankara: Ghanaian troops killed at least seven illegal miners in a shootout over the weekend, according to the military. The incident occurred at Anglo Gold Ashanti mines in the southern town of Obuasi, as stated by the West African nation's military in a statement released late Sunday.

According to Anadolu Agency, approximately 60 illegal miners breached the mines and intruded at Cote D'or Ramp to enter the Deep Decline of the mines. The miners, armed with locally manufactured rifles, pump action guns, gas cylinders, knives, heavy-duty industrial bolt cutters, axes, and machetes, fired at the soldiers who attempted to halt their advance. Acting in self-defense, the soldiers killed seven miners and seriously injured one.

The confrontation also resulted in an injury to one of the soldiers. In the aftermath, the troops retrieved six pump action BB cartridges from the scene. The Ghana Armed Forces has urged illegal miners to avoid mining concessions and refrain from engaging troops in shootouts, warning that such actions could have fatal consequences.