AFP, LONDON: Britain is to send several vessels to take part in a NATO mission to tackle people smugglers in the Aegean Sea, Prime Minister David Cameron announced Monday as European leaders met to discuss a migration crisis.
Cameron announced that the Royal Navy would send the amphibious landing ship RFA Mounts Bay, which would join two Border Force cutters and a chartered civilian vessel already in the sea between Greece and Turkey, a key crossing point for refugees and migrants heading to the European Union.
The navy ship carries a helicopter on board, and it is expected to shortly begin missions to spot smugglers ferrying people to Greece. The Turkish coastguard will be informed of sightings so they can intercept the boats.
“This migration crisis is the greatest challenge facing Europe today,” Cameron said in a statement released before he headed to Brussels for a summit of EU leaders.