Tripoli, Libya – The Chief of Staff of the Libyan Army, Lieutenant General Mohammed al-Haddad, has died in a plane crash while returning from Ankara, Turkey. The announcement was made Tuesday evening by Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh.
According to reports, the military aircraft, a Falcon 50, crashed after losing contact during its flight from Ankara to Tripoli. All passengers on board were killed.
Alongside Lieutenant General al-Haddad, the victims included the Chief of Staff of the Ground Forces, the Director of the Military Manufacturing Authority, an advisor to the Chief of Staff, and a photographer from the Chief of Staff’s media office.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya stated that the aircraft requested permission for an emergency landing in the Ankara region before communication was abruptly lost. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
The tragic incident follows an official visit by Lieutenant General al-Haddad to Turkey, where he held discussions with Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler and Turkish Chief of Staff Selcuk Bayraktaroglu regarding military cooperation and security coordination between the two nations.
The news of the crash has sent shockwaves through Libyan political and military circles. Investigations are underway to determine the cause of the accident. Further details are expected pending the outcome of official inquiries.
