Libya’s Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, was killed on Tuesday night when a private jet carrying a high-level Libyan military delegation crashed near the Turkish capital, Ankara, shortly after take-off. All those on board the aircraft died in the incident.
The victims included four senior Libyan military officials — General Al-Fitouri Gharibil, commander of ground forces; Brigadier General Mahmoud Al-Qatawi, head of the Military Manufacturing Authority; Mohammed Al-Asawi Diab, adviser to the chief of staff; and military photographer Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub — in addition to three crew members. The jet, a Dassault Falcon 50, had departed Ankara’s Esenboga Airport en route to Tripoli.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the aircraft took off at 8:10 pm Libya time and lost radio contact about 40 minutes later after requesting an emergency landing due to a reported electrical fault.
The wreckage was later found near Kesikkavak village in Ankara’s Haymana district. Turkish officials said preliminary findings indicate a technical failure, ruling out sabotage. Nonetheless, Ankara chief prosecutor’s office has launched a formal investigation.
Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah confirmed al-Haddad’s death, describing the crash as a “tragic accident” and a profound loss to Libya’s military and nation.
The UN-recognized Government of National Unity (GNU) declared three days of national mourning, ordering flags flown at half-mast and the suspension of official events. Libya will dispatch an investigative team to Ankara to cooperate with Turkish authorities.
Al-Haddad, appointed chief of staff in August 2020, was a central figure in UN-backed efforts to reunify Libya, which has remained divided since 2014.
Widely respected across political lines, he was known for advocating reconciliation and resisting pressure from armed militias.
Condolences poured in from across the country, including from eastern Libya, where commander Khalifa Haftar and the House of Representatives in Benghazi expressed their sympathies.
The Libyan delegation had been in Ankara for defense talks aimed at strengthening military cooperation. The crash came one day after Turkey’s parliament approved a two-year extension of the deployment of Turkish forces in Libya.
Ankara remains a key political and military ally of the Tripoli-based government, while recently expanding contacts with Libya’s eastern authorities under its “One Libya” policy.
