Libyan army chief dies in plane crash in Turkey
Libya’s army chief of staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, was killed in a plane crash in Turkey on Tuesday shortly after departing from the capital Ankara, Libya’s internationally recognised government confirmed.
Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah described the incident as a “tragic and painful loss,” saying the crash occurred while the delegation was returning from an official visit to Ankara. He said the loss was not only devastating for the military institution but also for the entire nation.
According to Libyan officials, four others were also on board the aircraft, including the commander of Libya’s ground forces, the head of the military manufacturing authority, an adviser to the chief of staff, and a photographer attached to Haddad’s office.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the Dassault Falcon 50-type jet took off from Ankara’s Esenboga Airport at around 5:10pm GMT, bound for Tripoli. Radio contact with the aircraft was lost approximately 40 minutes later. Authorities later located the wreckage near Kesikkavak village in Ankara’s Haymana district.
Yerlikaya said the jet had requested an emergency landing while flying over Haymana, but communication could not be re-established. Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc confirmed that a formal investigation into the crash has been launched.
Libya’s Tripoli-based Government of National Unity said Prime Minister Dbeibah directed the defence minister to send an official delegation to Ankara to monitor the investigation and coordinate with Turkish authorities.
State Minister for Political Affairs and Communication Walid Ellafi said the aircraft was a leased Maltese jet, adding that Libyan officials currently lacked full details regarding its ownership and technical history. He said all aspects of the aircraft’s condition would be thoroughly examined.
Following the incident, Libya’s UN-recognised government announced three days of official mourning across the country.
The crash came just a day after Turkey’s parliament approved the extension of the deployment of Turkish troops in Libya for another two years. Turkey, a NATO member, has been a key military and political backer of Libya’s Tripoli-based government since 2020, providing training and support amid ongoing instability.
Earlier, Turkey’s defence ministry had announced that Haddad met Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler and other senior military officials during his visit. Ankara has also recently expanded diplomatic engagement with Libya’s eastern factions under its “One Libya” policy, while maintaining support for the internationally recognised government.
