Ankara— Libya’s army chief of staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, has died in a plane crash near the Turkish capital Ankara shortly after the aircraft took off from Esenboga International Airport.
The crash occurred on Tuesday evening and killed all eight people on board, including four senior Libyan military officers and three crew members.
Turkish officials said initial investigations have ruled out sabotage and point to a technical failure as the cause of the crash.
According to Turkey’s authorities, the aircraft reported an electrical fault and requested an emergency landing before contact was lost.
Senior Libyan officials among the dead
Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah confirmed al-Haddad’s death, describing the incident as a great loss for Libya.
He said the country had lost officers who served with discipline and national commitment.
The other Libyan officials killed in the crash were General Al-Fitouri Gharibil, chief of staff of Libya’s ground forces. Moreover, Brigadier General Mahmoud Al-Qatawi, head of the Military Manufacturing Authority. Furthermore,
Muhammad Al-Asawi Diab, adviser to the army chief and Muhammad Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, a photographer attached to the chief of staff’s office. The three crew members also died.
Libya’s UN-recognized Government of National Unity announced three days of official mourning.
Flags at state institutions will fly at half-mast, while official ceremonies and celebrations have been suspended.
Visit to Türkiye and investigation underway
The Libyan delegation was in Ankara for high-level defence talks aimed at strengthening military cooperation between Libya and Türkiye.
Earlier on Tuesday, al-Haddad and his team met Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler and senior military officials.
Al-Haddad was appointed chief of the general staff by Libya’s UN-recognized government in August 2020. He played a key role in United Nations-backed efforts to unify Libya’s military institutions after years of division.
Turkey’s justice ministry has launched a formal investigation into the crash, while search and rescue teams have reached the wreckage near Ankara.
Officials said further details would be shared once the investigation progresses.
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