Libya’s Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, General Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, along with four other senior Libyan officials, was killed in a plane crash near Ankara, the Turkish capital. The accident occurred on Tuesday night while the aircraft was returning from Ankara to Libya’s capital, Tripoli.
Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a post on social media platform X that the Falcon 50 business jet took off from Ankara’s Esenboğa Airport at 8:10 pm on Tuesday. At around 8:52 pm, radio contact with the aircraft was lost.
According to the minister, shortly before losing contact, the aircraft had requested an emergency landing in the Haymana district. Later, the Turkish gendarmerie (a paramilitary force) located the wreckage near Kesikkavak village in Haymana, approximately 74 kilometres from Ankara.
Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh expressed deep sorrow over the incident in a statement, describing it as a great national tragedy. He said the loss was irreparable for both the armed forces and the Libyan people, adding that the victims were individuals who had served the country with dedication and sincerity and stood as symbols of discipline and national commitment.
Al Jazeera’s Libya correspondent Malik Traina reported that General al-Haddad was widely respected as a professional military figure. He was known for not aligning himself with any militia group and for remaining steadfast in upholding the rule of law. Al-Haddad played a significant role during the uprising against former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and his death represents a major blow to Libya’s military establishment.
It is worth noting that Libya’s UN-backed Tripoli-based government maintains close relations with Turkey. Al-Haddad had travelled to Ankara earlier this week to hold meetings with the Turkish Chief of General Staff and other senior military commanders.
Source: Al Jazeera