Ankara (TDI): Libya’s Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, was killed on Tuesday when the aircraft carrying him crashed in Turkiye shortly after departing from the capital, Ankara, Libya’s internationally recognized prime minister has confirmed.
In a statement, Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah described the incident as a “tragic and painful loss,” saying the crash occurred as the delegation was returning from an official visit to Ankara. He called Haddad’s death a major loss for Libya, its military institution and the nation as a whole.
According to the prime minister, four other individuals were also on board the jet, 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 from his office.
Turkiye’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the Dassault Falcon 50 aircraft took off from Ankara’s Esenboğa Airport at 5:10pm GMT en route to Tripoli. Radio contact was lost at 5:52pm GMT, and the wreckage was later located near Kesikkavak village in Ankara’s Haymana district. He added that the aircraft had requested an emergency landing while over the area, but contact could not be re-established.
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The cause of the crash was not immediately known, and an investigation is underway. Turkish security forces and search and rescue teams were deployed to the crash site.
Libya’s defense chief had been in Turkiye for official meetings with Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and senior military officials, including Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu, according to a statement issued earlier by Turkiye’s defense ministry.
The incident occurred a day after Turkiye’s parliament approved a two-year extension of the mandate allowing Turkish troops to remain deployed in Libya. Turkiye, a NATO member, has provided military and political support to Libya’s Tripoli-based government since 2020, including the deployment of military personnel and training missions.
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Ankara and Tripoli have also signed agreements on maritime boundaries and energy exploration, moves opposed by Egypt and Greece. In recent months, however, Turkiye has pursued a broader “One Libya” approach, increasing engagement with Libya’s eastern-based authorities alongside its continued support for the internationally recognised government.
