Libyan navy rescues 2,000 migrants in past week

Libya's navy has rescued more than 2,000 migrants off the country's coast in a week, Libyan News Agency reported Saturday.

Ayob Qasem, Libyan navy spokesman, said the migrants, including dozens of women, were rescued off Libya's western coast.

The migrants were on rubber and wooden boats on their way to European shores, and had been taken to a reception center in western Libya, he added.

Libya is a preferred point of departure for illegal immigrants hoping to cross the Mediterranean into Europe, because of insecurity and chaos in the country following the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The International Organization for Migration estimates that thousands of migrants have reached European shores in 2017, while many others were reported to be drowned on the way.