Libya’s army chief dies in plane crash in Turkey | Libya

Chief of staff of the Libyan army, Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, died in a plane crash while leaving Ankara, the capital of Türkiye.

The prime minister of Libya’s internationally recognized government confirmed on Tuesday evening that Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad had died and that four other people were on the plane with him.

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah said, “This happened after a tragic and painful incident while returning from an official trip from Ankara. This heavy loss is a great loss for the nation, the military establishment and the entire people.”

The commander of the Libyan ground forces, the director of the military production authority, an advisor to the chief of staff and a photographer from the chief of staff’s office were also on the plane, he said.

Minister of Internal Affairs Ali Yerlikaya said on the X channel that the plane took off from Ankara Esenboğa Airport towards Tripoli at 17.10 and the radio connection was lost at 17.52.

He said that authorities found the wreckage of the plane near Kesikkavak village in Ankara’s Haymana district.

Yerlikaya added that the Dassault Falcon 50 type jet requested an emergency landing while over Haymana, but no contact was made.

Presidential Communications Department Head Burhanettin Duran later said in a statement on X that the emergency landing request was made due to an “electrical failure”. “Libyan Chief of General Staff Mohammed al-Haddad, a private jet carrying four people and three crew members, requested an emergency landing at the air traffic control center due to a power outage,” he said in his post.

Türkiye’s defense ministry had previously announced Haddad’s visit, stating that he met with Turkish defense minister Yaşar Güler and his Turkish counterpart Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu, as well as other Turkish commanders.

The accident occurred a day after the Turkish parliament adopted a resolution to extend the mandate of Turkish soldiers in Libya for another two years.

NATO member Turkey provided military and political support to Libya’s Tripoli-based, internationally recognized government. In 2020, he sent military personnel there to train and support his government, and a maritime border agreement was later reached, which was discussed by Egypt and Greece.

In 2022, Ankara and Tripoli also signed a preliminary agreement on energy exploration, which Egypt and Greece also oppose.

However, Türkiye recently changed direction within the scope of its “One Libya” policy and increased its contacts with the eastern flank of Libya.