LUXEMBOURG (AP) – The European Union has launched a naval operation to try to stop human traffickers from bringing migrants across the Mediterranean to Europe in unseaworthy boats.
More than 100,000 migrants have entered Europe so far this year, with some 2,000 dead or missing during their perilous quest to reach the continent. Dozens of boats are launched from lawless Libya each week, with Italy and Greece bearing the brunt of the surge.
The naval operation will begin operating in international waters and airspace until the EU can secure permission to enter Libyan territory.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Monday “there are things that we can do … in international waters that we can begin with already now.”