At least 108 alleged illegal miners were reported arrested the beginning of August by the 400-member anti-illegal mining taskforce dispatched across the country. The taskforce running the operation named “Operation Vanguard” is made up of 400 security men from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and the Police Service. The men were arrested at their mining sites during regular patrol conducted by the taskforce. The taskforce is reported to have seized some equipment used by the small-scale miners and destroyed some of it. But the anti-illegal mining work in the Ashanti Region turned bloody when the small-scale miners reportedly clashed with members of the taskforce resulting in the death of one small-scale miner. The family of the deceased has demanded more than $100 000 in compensation as well as the government should meet the funeral costs for the killed small-scale miner.