Libya’s military chief and four others killed in plane crash over Turkey
General Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad was in Ankara for high-level defence talks aimed at boosting military co-operation between the two countries.
A private jet carrying Libya’s military chief, four other officers and three crew members crashed after takeoff from Turkey’s capital, Ankara, on Tuesday, killing everyone on board.
The Libyan military chief was in Ankara for high-level defence talks aimed at boosting military co-operation between the two countries and to address regional issues, Turkish officials said.
Libyan prime minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah confirmed the death of General Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad and the others, saying in a statement on Facebook that the “tragic accident” took place as the Libyan delegation was “returning from an official trip to Ankara”.
He called it a “great loss” for Libya.
Officials in Libya said contact with the plane was lost about half-an-hour into the flight because of a technical malfunction.
Gen al-Hadad was the top military commander in western Libya. He played a crucial role in the UN-brokered ongoing efforts to unify Libya’s military, which has split much like Libya’s institutions.
The four others who died in the crash were Geneal Al-Fitouri Ghraibil, the head of Libya’s ground forces, Brigadier General Mahmoud Al-Qatawi, who led the military manufacturing authority, Mohammed Al-Asawi Diab, adviser to the chief of staff and Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, a military photographer with the chief of staff’s office.
The identities of the three crew members were not immediately known.
Turkey did not immediately confirm the deaths, only that wreckage of the Falcon 50-type business jet had been found near the village of Kesikkavak, in Haymana, a district some 43.5 miles (70km) south of Ankara.
Earlier on Tuesday evening, Turkey’s air traffic controllers said they lost contact with the plane, which was en route back to Libya, after takeoff from Esenboga airport.
Turkish interior minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a social media post that the plane took off at 8.30pm and contact was lost 40 minutes later.
The plane issued an emergency landing signal near Haymana, a district south of Ankara, before all communication ceased, Mr Yerlikaya said.
Security camera footage aired on local television stations showed the night sky over Haymana suddenly lit up by what appeared to be an explosion.
While in Ankara, Gen al-Haddad had met with Turkish defence minister Yasar Guler and other officials.
The airport in Ankara was closed and several flights were diverted to other locations, private NTV news channel reported.
Turkey’s justice ministry said four prosecutors had been assigned to investigate the crash, a routine step in such incidents.
Turkish television NTV and other media reports said the aircraft issued the emergency signal due to an electrical fault and attempted to return to Esenboga. The airport was immediately closed to all flights to make sure the jet could land safely, the reports said, but communication with the plane was lost before it could return.
According to a government statement on Facebook, Libya will send a team to Ankara to work with Turkish authorities on investigating the crash.
Libya plunged into chaos after the country’s 2011 uprising toppled and killed long-time dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The country split, with rival administrations based in the east and west, backed by an array of rogue militias and foreign governments.
Turkey has been allied with Libya’s government in the west, but has recently taken steps to improve ties with the eastern-based government as well.
Tuesday’s visit by the Libyan delegation came a day after Turkey’s parliament approved to extend the mandate of Turkish troops serving in Libya for two years.
Turkey deployed troops following a 2019 security and military co-operation agreement that was reached between Ankara and the Tripoli-based government.
