Libya’s army chief, General Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, has been killed in a plane crash in Turkey, according to the country’s prime minister.
The general was travelling on a Falcon 50 aircraft that departed Ankara on Tuesday evening en route to Tripoli. The jet was carrying four other Libyan military officials and three crew members, all of whom also died in the crash.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said contact with the aircraft was lost at 8:52pm local time, about 42 minutes after takeoff. Before communication was cut, the crew had requested an emergency landing. The wreckage was later discovered southwest of Ankara, near the village of Kesikkavak in the Haymana district. Authorities have recovered the flight data and voice recorders, while rescue teams continue efforts to retrieve the bodies.
An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the crash.
Libya’s prime minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, confirmed the deaths in a statement, describing the incident as a “great loss” for the country. He said Libya had lost senior officers who served with “sincerity and dedication”.
General Haddad and his delegation had been in Turkey for high-level talks aimed at strengthening military and security cooperation between the two nations. The crash occurred just hours after the general met Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler.
Turkey has played a significant role in Libya since 2019, when it intervened to support the internationally recognised Government of National Unity in Tripoli, forging close political and military ties in the process.
Libya remains deeply divided, with a rival administration in the east led by military commander Khalifa Haftar. The country has struggled with instability and armed conflict since the 2011 uprising that led to the fall of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi.
