France, UK announce Libya airlift operation

France and Britain said Wednesday they will airlift and ferry some of the thousands of Egyptian refugees stranded at the border between Libya and Tunisia.

The French Foreign Ministry says the operation will involve large airliners and a French Navy ship heading to the region. It says the operation will allow the evacuation of at least 5,000 people over the course of a week. It said that the operation is being carried out in coordination with the European Union

British Prime Minister David Cameron announced Wednesday that UK will also be sending aircrafts to pick up the stranded Egyptians, who are fleeing chaos and violence in Libya.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron says the UK has launched an operation to airlift Egyptian refugees stranded on the Libyan-Tunisian border.

Cameron says the flights will take Egyptians stranded by the crisis in Libya back to their own country. He says the first flight is scheduled to leave the UK later Wednesday.

He says it vital to do this, and that "these people shouldn't be kept in transit camps."