Tripoli – Libya has declared three days of national mourning following the death of Chief of Staff General Mohammed Ali al-Haddad and four of his aides in a plane crash shortly after takeoff from Ankara, Turkey. The Libyan Government of National Unity announced the mourning period, with flags to be flown at half-staff across the country.
Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh confirmed the deaths of General al-Haddad, his advisor Mohammed al-Asawi Diab, Chief of Staff of the Ground Forces Staff Lieutenant General al-Fitouri Gribaiel, Director of the Military Manufacturing Authority Brigadier General Mahmoud al-Qattiwi, and photographer Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, who were returning from Ankara.
“We announce official mourning throughout the country for three days, during which flags will be lowered at all state institutions, and festive and official events will be suspended,” Dbeibeh stated, expressing condolences for the loss of the military leaders.
The Prime Minister has instructed the Ministry of Defense to dispatch an official delegation to Ankara to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident, monitor related procedures, and coordinate directly with Turkish authorities to ensure the completion of investigations and the necessary actions are taken.
Libyan Minister of State for Communication and Political Affairs, Walid al-Lafi, stated that Turkish authorities had informed them of the discovery of the wreckage and all bodies. He indicated that initial assessments suggest a technical malfunction as the cause of the crash. Al-Lafi emphasized that General al-Haddad was on an official visit to Ankara at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart and that the Government of National Unity has formed a crisis cell through the Ministry of Defense to follow military protocols in response to the incident.
Turkey has launched an investigation into the crash. Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc announced that the Ankara Public Prosecutor’s Office has initiated an inquiry into the incident.
The High Council of State also issued a statement expressing deep sorrow over the death of General al-Haddad and his companions, who it said were killed in a plane crash caused by a technical fault shortly after takeoff.
