Libyan army chief, four other officers killed as private plane crashes in Turkey’s Ankara moments after high-level defence talks, investigation underway
The Libyan army’s chief of staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, and four other officers were tragically killed after a private plane crashed on Tuesday. This incident occurred during the return of the Libyan chief of general staff from the Turkish capital Ankara.
The Libyan army’s chief of staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, and four other officers were tragically killed after a private plane crashed on Tuesday. This incident occurred during the return of the Libyan chief of general staff from the Turkish capital Ankara. According to the information obtained, the cause of the accident was a technical malfunction in the aircraft.
Others killed in the plane crash included General Al-Fitouri Ghraibil, commander of Libyan ground forces; Brig. Gen. Mahmoud Al-Qatawi, who leads the military production authority; Mohammed Al-Asawi Diab, advisor to the Chief of Staff; and Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, the chief of staff’s military photographer, the AP reported.
Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah also confirmed the death in his official statement. “This is a tragic and painful incident that occurred while returning from an official trip from Ankara. This heavy loss is a great loss for the nation, the military institution and the entire population.”
The Libyan delegation was in Ankara for high-level defense talks. Chief of General Staff Haddad met with Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and his Turkish counterpart Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu, as well as other Turkish commanders.
What happened?
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed that the plane carrying the Libyan Chief of General Staff and others took off from Ankara Esenboğa Airport at 20.30 and headed towards Tripoli. However, radio contact was lost after 40 minutes. Yerlikaya said that the plane gave an emergency landing signal near Haymana before all communication was cut off.
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. The investigation is ongoing and the Libyan government announced that it will send a team to Ankara to work with Turkish authorities to investigate the crash.
