Naval ship to join mission tackling people smugglers

The Naval Service will make history on October 6 when it joins an EU-led taskforce which is taking a more aggressive role against people-smugglers and gun-runners operating in war-torn Libya, including IS fighters.

The Irish Examiner exclusively revealed last June that Naval Service ships operating in the Mediterranean Sea would soon be adopting a more robust role in the fight against IS terrorists and people-smugglers, profiteering from the misery of hundreds of thousands of refugees from Syria and Sub-Saharan Africa who are desperate to flee their famine-ridden and war-torn countries for a better life in Europe.

Over the last three years, the navy has been operating under the auspices of Operation Pontus, which primarily focused on migrant rescues and was formed under a bilateral agreement with the Italian authorities.