A plane crash in Turkey claimed the life of Libya’s top military commander along with four other officials, prompting investigations as authorities work to determine the cause of the accident.
Libya’s senior military commander and four other officials died in a plane crash in Turkey
Emergency teams continued search and recovery efforts at the crash site after a Libya-bound private jet carrying Libya’s Chief of Staff, General Muhammad Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, went down, according to AFP.
Libya’s military chief and four senior officers lost their lives late Tuesday when the aircraft crashed shortly after departing from Ankara, officials in both Turkey and Tripoli confirmed.
Turkey’s Interior Minister, Ali Yerlikaya, said security forces located the remains of the Falcon 50 jet in the Haymana area near the Turkish capital. He added that the three crew members on board the aircraft were also killed in the accident.
Libya’s Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah expressed his condolences in a post on Facebook, saying he was deeply saddened by the loss of the Libyan armed forces’ chief of staff, Lieutenant General Mohammed Al-Haddad.
Earlier on Tuesday, Al-Haddad had met in Ankara with Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler and senior Turkish officials, including Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, before beginning his return journey to Tripoli.
According to Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, the aircraft departed from Ankara’s Esenboga Airport at 5.10pm GMT, but communication with the jet was lost approximately 42 minutes later.
Yerlikaya said the plane sent a distress signal requesting an emergency landing near the Haymana area, about 74 kilometres from the Turkish capital, after which contact could not be restored.
A senior Turkish official later revealed that the crew had sought permission for an emergency landing due to an electrical malfunction reported shortly after take-off.
Burhanettin Duran, head of Turkey’s Presidency Communications Directorate, said the aircraft was carrying eight people, including Al-Haddad, four accompanying officials and three crew members, all of whom reported technical issues to air traffic control.
Meanwhile, Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc confirmed that prosecutors in Ankara have opened a formal investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the crash.
‘It sounded like an explosion’
Several Turkish news channels aired footage capturing a bright flash in the sky near the area where the aircraft last transmitted a signal, indicating a powerful blast at the time of the crash.
A resident of Haymana, Burhan Cicek, described the terrifying moment the plane went down. Speaking to AFP, he said he heard a loud blast that resembled an explosion, comparing the sound to that of a bomb.
Libya’s ambassador to Turkey was present at the crash location as investigations began. Walid Ellafi, Libya’s minister of state for communication and political affairs, told local broadcaster Libya Al-Ahrar that Turkish officials promptly informed Libyan authorities about the incident.
Ellafi said his government received immediate notification that communication with the aircraft had been lost shortly after departure. He added that all contact reportedly ceased roughly 30 minutes after take-off from Ankara due to a technical malfunction, and indications suggest the aircraft subsequently crashed. Libyan officials are awaiting the outcome of Turkey’s ongoing investigation.
According to Ellafi, those on board included General Al-Haddad’s adviser Mohammed Al-Assawi, Major General Al-Fitouri Ghraibil, Major General Mohammed Jumaa, and their escort Mohammed Al-Mahjoub.
Al-Haddad had served as Libya’s chief of general staff since August 2020, following his appointment by then prime minister Fayez Al-Sarraj.
Libya remains politically divided between the UN-recognised administration in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and the eastern-based authority headed by military commander Khalifa Haftar. The country has faced prolonged instability since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that led to the fall and death of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi.
Turkey maintains strong political, economic and military relations with the Tripoli-based government, marked by frequent high-level exchanges. In recent months, however, Ankara has also taken steps to engage with eastern Libyan leaders, including a meeting in August between Turkey’s intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin and Haftar in Benghazi.
