Eight Ecuadorian soldiers were killed during clashes with armed groups involved in illegal mining operations in the Amazon region, the Attorney General’s Office in Quito confirmed on Saturday.

In a statement, the prosecutor’s office said the soldiers were conducting a security operation when they were attacked by armed assailants engaged in unauthorized mineral extraction activities in the area.

Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the circumstances of the attack and to identify those responsible, while security forces have intensified operations in the region to track down the perpetrators.

The Ecuadorian Amazon has become a hotspot for illegal mining, leading to increasingly violent confrontations between security forces and armed groups seeking to exploit mineral resources.