European warships to start intercepting migrants in the Mediterranean
TomoNews US
2015-10-13
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ROME-- European warships will soon be patrolling the Mediterranean to curb the illegal smuggling of migrants and refugees.
The EU has been surveying routes used by smugglers to ferry migrants and refugees from Libya to Italy and Malta. The BBC reports that his year alone, 130,000 migrants have been traveled to Europe this way, while 2,700 others have perished on the journey.
AFP reports that Operation Sophia, formerly known as EU Navfor Med, was launched to tackle the problem of human trafficking and smuggling, specifically of migrants and refugees from Africa into Europe. The first phase of the operation involved the analysis and surveillance of smuggling routes and had already begun earlier this year. The second phase, which begins Wednesday, allows operation personnel to board, search, seize and divert vessels suspected of being used for smuggling. Crew may respond by opening fire in the event of an attack by traffickers.
Operation Sophia currently has six vessels: an Italian aircraft carrier, French, British, and Spanish frigates, and two German ships. Three other vessels from the UK, Belgium, and Slovenia, four aircraft and 1,318 personnel are expected to arrive off the coast of Libya at the end of October.
Ships are allowed to pursue suspected smugglers in international waters but can not follow them into Libyan waters for now. The EU hopes to eventually be able to operate within Libyan waters, but it must obtain approval from the UN Security Council or Libya itself.
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The EU has been surveying routes used by smugglers to ferry migrants and refugees from Libya to Italy and Malta. The BBC reports that his year alone, 130,000 migrants have been traveled to Europe this way, while 2,700 others have perished on the journey.
AFP reports that Operation Sophia, formerly known as EU Navfor Med, was launched to tackle the problem of human trafficking and smuggling, specifically of migrants and refugees from Africa into Europe. The first phase of the operation involved the analysis and surveillance of smuggling routes and had already begun earlier this year. The second phase, which begins Wednesday, allows operation personnel to board, search, seize and divert vessels suspected of being used for smuggling. Crew may respond by opening fire in the event of an attack by traffickers.
Operation Sophia currently has six vessels: an Italian aircraft carrier, French, British, and Spanish frigates, and two German ships. Three other vessels from the UK, Belgium, and Slovenia, four aircraft and 1,318 personnel are expected to arrive off the coast of Libya at the end of October.
Ships are allowed to pursue suspected smugglers in international waters but can not follow them into Libyan waters for now. The EU hopes to eventually be able to operate within Libyan waters, but it must obtain approval from the UN Security Council or Libya itself.
------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, celebrity gossip, salacious scandals, dumb criminals and much more! Subscribe now for daily news animations that will knock your socks off.
Visit our official website for all the latest, uncensored videos: http://us.tomonews.net
Check out our Android app: http://bit.ly/1rddhCj
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