The chief of staff of Libya’s army, Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, was killed in a plane crash near Turkiye’s capital, Ankara, shortly after departing from the city’s Esenboğa Airport, Turkish and Libyan officials confirmed.
Al-Haddad was travelling aboard a private Dassault Falcon 50 jet that went down in the Haymana district of Ankara on Tuesday evening. Four senior Libyan military officials and three crew members were also killed in the crash.
Turkiye’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the aircraft took off at 1710 GMT bound for Tripoli, but radio contact was lost at 1752 GMT. The jet had requested an emergency landing while flying over the Haymana area, though contact could not be re-established. Wreckage was later found near Kesikkavak village.
Turkish officials told to the international media, that preliminary investigations have ruled out sabotage, with early findings pointing to a technical failure. The cause of the crash has not yet been officially confirmed.
Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah confirmed al-Haddad’s death in a statement, describing the incident as a “tragic accident” that occurred as the delegation was returning home from Ankara.
“This great tragedy is a great loss for the nation, the military establishment, and all the people,” Dbeibah said. “We have lost men who served their country with sincerity and dedication.”
Among those killed were General Al-Fitouri Gharibil, head of Libya’s ground forces; Brigadier General Mahmoud Al-Qatawi, chief of the Military Manufacturing Authority; Muhammad Al-Asawi Diab, an adviser to the chief of staff; and Muhammad Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, a military photographer.
The Libyan delegation had been in Ankara for high-level defence talks aimed at strengthening military cooperation between Libya and Turkiye. The crash occurred one day after Turkiye’s parliament voted to extend the deployment of Turkish troops in Libya by two years.
Al-Haddad, the most senior military commander in western Libya, played a key role in UN-backed efforts to reunify the country, which has remained divided since the 2014 conflict that followed the overthrow of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi.
Turkiye’s defence ministry said earlier that al-Haddad had met with Defence Minister Yaşar Güler and other senior Turkish military officials during his visit.
