Libyan Military Chief Among Five Killed in Turkey Jet Crash

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah said on Tuesday that Lieutenant General Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, the chief of staff of Libya’s army, and four other top officials perished in a jet crash close to Ankara, the capital of Turkey.

The incident, which happened while the Libyan team was returning to Tripoli following an official visit to Turkey, was called a “tragic incident” by Prime Minister Dbeibah in an official statement. “Great tragedy for the nation, the military institution, and the Libyan people” is how he described the loss.

“This came after a terrible and agonizing event that happened on their way back from an official trip to Ankara, Turkey. The country, the military establishment, and every individual are all greatly impacted by this terrible loss.

He said that the plane also carried a photographer from the chief of staff’s office, the director of Libya’s military manufacturing authority, an adviser to the chief of staff, and the commander of the country’s ground forces.

The prime minister expressed his sympathies to the families of the victims, the military, and the Libyan public at large, saying, “We have lost men who served their country with sincerity, discipline, and national commitment.” The wreckage of the Dassault Falcon 50-type business jet was discovered in the Haymana district, approximately 74 kilometers (45 miles) south of Ankara, according to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya of Turkey. On its way to Tripoli, the plane took off from Esenboga Airport in Ankara at 8:10 p.m. local time (17:10 GMT).

Yerlikaya claims that around 8:52 p.m. (17:52 GMT), radio contact with the aircraft was lost. He claimed that while the plane was above the Haymana region, it made an emergency landing request, but that no further contact could be made.

Al-Haddad was among the five individuals on board the flight, according to later confirmation from Turkish police.

Among the deceased were senior officials:

According to Libyan officials, those slain with al-Haddad included:

The land troops’ chief of staff

The military manufacturing authority’s chief

An advisor to the head of the army

An army media office photographer

About 30 minutes into the trip, contact with the aircraft was lost, according to Libyan sources, probably as a result of a mechanical issue.

A key part of Libya’s military

As the leading military leader in western Libya, Mohammed al-Haddad was instrumental in attempts supported by the UN to bring Libya’s disparate military institutions together. He was a career military commander who was well-liked in the military for upholding professional discipline and maintaining objectivity in the face of Libya’s strong militias.

During the 2011 rebellion against previous leader Muammar Gaddafi, Al-Haddad was also a key member of the rebels’ side.

Al-Haddad’s travel to Ankara, where he visited his Turkish counterpart and other top military commanders, was previously disclosed by Turkey’s defense ministry. The visit was a component of continuous military and security cooperation between Turkey and the Government of National Unity in Tripoli, Libya, which is recognized by the UN.

Ankara has been a major supporter of the regime in Tripoli and maintains strong military and commercial relations with Libya.

Following the fatal tragedy, Libyan and Turkish officials are still coordinating while investigations into the crash’s cause continue.