European Union opens hunt for smugglers

brussels - The European Union is since Wednesday in the Mediterranean in search of smugglers . Under the code name Sophia Search naval forces especially the routes from Libya to Italy. Coordination is in the hands of the Italian Admiral Enrico CREDENDINO in Rome .

Until now, the operations at sea aimed at the search and rescue of refugees mainly from North Africa trying to reach European shores .

This year they succeeded 130,000 people , others drowned in 2700 , however . In the course of 2015 shifted the refugees themselves partial to the route between Turkey and European Union Griekenland.De smugglers would prefer to deal directly in Libyan territorial waters , but this requires either the permission of the United Nations Security Council required , either by Libya itself .

For now this agreement is not reached . The naval units now go deep-sea vessels to search and possibly take if it is suspected that they are or used to transport refugees.