EU says most EU citizens out of Libya

BRUSSELS – The European Union says that most of the 10,000 EU citizens in Libya have left, but there are still 650 asking to be evacuated.

EU Crisis Response Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva said Monday the remaining EU nationals are often in tough areas to reach, making their rescue difficult.

Georgieva says that overall some 1.5 million foreigners are in Libya and that the pressure on the borders with Egypt and Tunisia will continue to build.

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

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey's foreign minister says the country has evacuated all the Turkish citizens who wanted to leave Libya — some 18,000 in total.

Ahmet Davutoglu's comments Monday signaled that Turkey's largest ever evacuation operation was winding down.

Two Turkish frigates brought back more than 1,700 people to Turkey's Mediterranean port of Marmaris late Sunday and a C-130 military transport plane airlifted another 132 early Monday.

As well as the 18,000 Turks, Turkey evacuated close to 600 foreign nationals.

Turkey had up to 30,000 citizens in Libya, mostly working in construction projects, before the trouble began.

Davutoglu said Turkey was preparing to send humanitarian aid to Libya.