File Photo Lehtikuva.
The Finnish Border Guard is sending experts as well as air and maritime support to fight illegal immigration.
Finland is sending a Dornier surveillance aircraft to Italy, a patrol boat to Greece and experts in interviewing immigrants.
The operation is being run in cooperation with the European Union border control Frontex.
The Finnish experts will work in teams aiming to establish apprehended immigrants’ countries of origin and routes used by them as well as to gather intelligence on human traffickers.
The Border Guard surveillance aircraft will be based at Lampedusa in Italy for about a month.
The patrol boat will be involved in operations in a Greek island off the border with Turkey for two months.
The number of illegal immigrants reaching Europe has increased significantly this year.
