In a reply to parliament, the Foreign Ministry said ships that make up the Operation Sophia mission have seized 85 rubber boats and 18 wooden boats, the dpa news agency reported Wednesday. A total of 69 smugglers have also been charged since the operation started in May 2015.
Though the fleet`s official mission is to confront smugglers and deter illegal immigration to Europe, in practice the effort has become one of the 28-nation bloc`s biggest rescue missions in history, saving more than 10,000 migrants in the past year.
103 boats seized in first year of EU anti-migrant mission
01 June 2016
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The German government says the European Union`s anti-migrant smuggling operation in the Mediterranean sea has intercepted and destroyed 103 boats in its first year of operation.
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