Libya intercepts 3 boats carrying 122 Europe-bound migrants

CAIRO – Libya’s coast guard says it has intercepted 122 Europe-bound migrants off the country’s Mediterranean coast in recent days.

Spokesman Ayoub Gassim says Tuesday the migrants, including two women and a child, were on three boats and were intercepted in three different operations on Saturday, Sunday and Monday off the coast of the capital, Tripoli.

He says the migrants were given humanitarian and medical aid before being taken to detention centres in Tripoli.

Libya slid into chaos after the 2011 uprising that toppled and later killed long-ruling dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

Armed groups have proliferated, and the country has emerged as a major transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East for a better life in Europe.