QUITO, Ecuador (AFP) — Genetic tests on charred bodies found near an Ecuador military base confirm they are those of four boys taken by soldiers three weeks ago, officials said Tuesday.

The disappearance of the boys, aged between 11 and 15, sparked protests in the South American nation, which is in the throes of an armed struggle between narco gangs and security forces.

Saul Arboleda, Steven Medina, and brothers Josue and Ismael Arroyo were playing football in the western city of Guayaquil on 8 December when they went missing.

"The results of genetic forensic tests confirm that the four bodies found in Taura correspond to the three teenagers and a boy who disappeared after a December 8 military operation," Ecuador's prosecution service wrote on the X social media platform.

An unverified video released by Ecuador's Congress appears to show a group of soldiers putting one of the minors in a vehicle and beating him, while another was seen face down.

Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo said that the soldiers, who had been on patrol, were responding to a request for help due to a robbery.