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Italian naval operation in Libyan waters sparks controversy

Thursday, 03 August 2017 9:29 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 03 August 2017 9:30 PM ]

This file handout photo released by the Italian Navy (Marina Militare) press office on June 23, 2016 shows a rescue operation of migrants and refugees at sea, off the coast of Libya, on June 23, 2016. © AFP

Max Civili
Press TV, Rome

Italy’s navy has begun a mission to support the Libyan coastguard in combating human smugglers and stem the flow of refugees across the Mediterranean Sea. Rome says the measure was requested by Libya’s UN-backed government in Tripoli. As Press TV’s Max Civili reports, rights organizations are now concerned about the well being of hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers who would be held in detention facilities across the Libyan territory as a result of the new arrangements.

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