Any NATO refugee mission would go after smugglers, U.S.'s Carter says

U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter answers questions after his speech at the Economic Club of Washington winter breakfast in Washington, February 2, 2016. REUTERS/Gary Cameron

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO allies have agreed to consider a request from Germany, Turkey and Greece to help slow refugee flows into Europe and any mission will likely target criminal people smuggling networks, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said on Thursday. "There is now a criminal syndicate that is exploiting these poor people and this is an organised smuggling operation," Carter told a news conference during a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels. "Targeting that is the way that the greatest effect can be had in the humanitarian dimension," he said. (Reporting by Robin Emmott and Phil Stewart; Editing by Alissa de Carbonnel)