The Chief of Staff of the Libyan Army and his companions were killed after their plane crashed in Türkiye
The Chief of Staff of the Libyan Army, Lieutenant General Mohammed al Haddad, and four accompanying officers were killed in a tragic plane crash near the Turkish capital, Ankara, while returning from an official visit.
The incident has prompted official mourning in Libya and a comprehensive investigation by Turkish authorities.
Libyan Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity, Abdelhamid Dbeibah, announced the news on Tuesday evening, expressing deep sorrow over the loss.
In a statement published on his official Facebook page, Dbeibah mourned Lieutenant General Haddad along with Lieutenant General Fitouri Gribel, Chief of Staff of the Ground Forces; Brigadier General Mahmoud Qutiwi, Director of the Military Industrialization Agency; Mohamed al Assawi Diab, advisor to the Chief of Staff; and Mohamed Mahjoub, a photographer with the Chief of Staff’s Information Office.
According to Dbeibah, the five men were killed in a painful accident while returning from Ankara on an official flight.
He described the loss as a profound blow to Libya, noting that the victims were figures known for their discipline, responsibility, and dedication to national service.
The Libyan prime minister extended his condolences to the families of the deceased and to their colleagues in the armed forces, praying for mercy for the victims and patience for their loved ones.
Shortly after the announcement, the Libyan News Agency reported that Dbeibah had ordered the formation of a crisis cell to coordinate with Turkish authorities and to follow all procedures related to the crash and the fate of those on board.
In Türkiye, the Public Prosecution in Ankara opened a formal investigation into the incident.
Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunç confirmed that four prosecutors were assigned to the case under the supervision of the deputy chief prosecutor, stressing that the investigation would be conducted with the highest level of accuracy and from all relevant angles.
Earlier, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya had announced that contact was lost with a private aircraft carrying five people, including the Libyan Chief of Staff, after it reported an emergency situation shortly after takeoff from Esenboğa Airport in Ankara en route to Tripoli.
Search and rescue teams later located the wreckage approximately two kilometers from the village of Küçükkavak in the Haymana district, south of Ankara.
Yerlikaya later confirmed that the aircraft’s black box and cockpit voice recorder were recovered from the crash site in the early hours of Wednesday.
He stated that the audio recorder was found at 2:45 am local time, followed by the black box at 3:20 am, and that technical examinations of both devices had begun.
Preliminary information indicated that the plane had reported a return at 8:32 pm due to a technical malfunction before contact was lost.
The Turkish interior minister also reported that extensive search and rescue operations were carried out at the scene, involving more than 400 personnel, over 100 ground vehicles, and seven aircraft from various agencies, including AFAD, the gendarmerie, police, health services, and military units.
All efforts were coordinated through a mobile command center, with drones, specialized rescue vehicles, and police dog units deployed.
Additionally, a Libyan delegation of 22 people, including five relatives of the victims, arrived in Ankara to follow developments.
Yerlikaya extended his condolences to the families of the victims, the Libyan people, the Libyan government, and the Libyan General Staff, as well as to the families of the crew members who lost their lives.
The crash has cast a shadow over Libyan-Turkish relations at an official level, with both sides emphasizing cooperation, transparency, and full accountability as investigations continue into the causes of the fatal accident.
