La Merced de Buenos Aires (AFP) — “Bomb incoming!” A military radio intercepts a voice alerting miners about an attack, while dozens of soldiers advance over Ecuador’s Andean mountains where illegal gold extraction runs rampant.

The explosion detonates in a gorge hours later, while a separate blast elsewhere sends chunks of metal flying.

The resounding booms signal the Ecuadoran army’s attempt to crush illegal mining operations, which are run by criminal groups in the northern La Merced de Buenos Aires region near the Colombian border.

AFP witnessed these attempts in action while accompanying an operation into the rugged terrain, where soldiers covering their faces “for security” patrol on foot, sporting rifles, helmets and bulletproof vests.

The army has gone as far as using tanks, BM-21 rocket launchers and mortars to attack illegal mines in several areas.

The mountainous region “has great wealth that has not been tapped,” said operation leader Colonel Christian Ruales.