The joint efforts of the Turkish military and Libyan coast guard rescued at least 123 irregular migrants off the coast of Libya's capital Tripoli, military sources said Sunday.
While on a mission north of Libya, the Turkish navy vessel TCG Gaziantep received a call for help from a rubber boat carrying the irregular migrants nearly 129 kilometers (80 miles) off Tripoli Thursday.
After the Turkish Mission Group Command conveyed the necessary information of the boat to local authorities, the 123 irregular migrants were rescued by the Libyan coast guard.
Under a 2019 military and security cooperation agreement between Turkey and Libya, the mission group command has been providing training and consultancy support to the Libyan military and helping the Libyan coast guard with humanitarian efforts.
In recent years, Libya has become a crucial point for African irregular migrants trying to reach Europe fleeing poverty and conflict in their countries.
