Libya’s Top Army Chief Dies in Plane Crash After Leaving Turkey, Government Confirms
Libya’s Chief of Staff of the National Army, Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, has died in a plane crash shortly after departing Ankara, Turkey, the Libyan government announced on Tuesday evening.
Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah of Libya’s internationally recognised government confirmed the death, saying the aircraft disappeared after losing radio contact. He described the incident as a national tragedy and a major loss for the country’s military leadership.
According to Libyan authorities, several senior officials were on board the private jet alongside al-Haddad, including the commander of Libya’s ground forces, the head of military manufacturing, an adviser, and a photographer.
Photograph: Adem Altan/AFP/Getty Images
Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya stated that the jet departed Ankara’s Esenboğa Airport at 17:10 GMT heading to Tripoli, but communication was lost around 17:52 GMT. The wreckage was later found near the village of Kesikkavak in Ankara’s Haymana district.
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Turkish officials reported that the crew had requested permission for an emergency landing due to what was later described as an electrical failure, but contact could not be re-established before the crash.
Al-Haddad had been in Turkey on an official visit, where he held meetings with senior Turkish defence officials, including Turkey’s Minister of Defence and senior military commanders.
The crash comes shortly after Turkey’s parliament approved the extension of its military presence in Libya for another two years. Turkey has been a key military and political supporter of Libya’s Tripoli-based government, previously providing training, personnel, and strategic backing. In recent years, Ankara has also expanded diplomatic engagement with different Libyan factions under its “One Libya” policy while pursuing defence and energy cooperation agreements.
Investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing in Turkey, with both governments expressing condolences to the Libyan people.
Libya’s Top Army Chief Dies in Plane Crash After Leaving Turkey, Government Confirms
