Italian military mission arrives in Libya

By Mahmut Geldi

TRIPOLI (AA) – An Italian military ship arrived here Wednesday to support Libyan Coast Guard forces combat human traffickers and ease irregular migration flows.

The Commandante Prozene ship arrived as part of the military cooperation between Libya and Italy, Libyan Navy spokesman Ayoub Qassim told the country's state-run news agency, LANA.

He said the Italian ship would work five days with experts from different areas in cooperation with the coast guard navy.

Italy’s government last Friday proposed sending military forces to Libyan waters to tackle human smuggling.

Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni told a news conference in Rome, that officials would also assist the Libyan coast guard to stem the flow of irregular migration.

He said the mission would help Libyan authorities reinforce their ability to control their borders and national territory.