TIRANA, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- The "Oriku" ship of the Albanian Navy Forces has rescued 140 migrants on board of four boats from the Aegean Sea in the past three days, the Albanian Defence Minister Olta Xhacka announced on Wednesday.
"In just three days, four different boats with about 140 Afghan and Syrian migrants on board have been rescued by the crew of 'Oriku' patrol ship, half of them women and children whose lives were in danger in the sea waters between Turkey and Greece," Xhacka said in a video posted in the social network Facebook.
According to Xhacka, "Oriku" ship and its crew have faced an increasing influx of illegal migrants while patrolling the Aegean Sea.
The operations of the Albanian Navy Forces were conducted in cooperation with the Turkish and Greek coastguards.
Since 2016, the Albanian Navy's "Oriku" patrol ship has joined NATO's Standing Maritime Group in the Aegean Sea operations to monitor and patrol the waters between Turkey and Greece, supporting international efforts aimed at curbing human trafficking and illegal migration.
