World News
Libya’s Top Military Commander Among Eight Killed in Private Jet Crash in Turkey
Libya’s military chief Gen Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad and seven others were killed after a private jet crashed near Ankara shortly after takeoff. The aircraft reportedly developed a technical fault during its return flight from Turkey.
Libya’s top military commander and seven others were killed on Tuesday when a private jet crashed near Turkey’s capital, Ankara, shortly after takeoff.
The aircraft was carrying Libya’s military chief, four senior officers and three crew members. Libyan officials said the crash was caused by a technical malfunction.
The Libyan delegation had been in Ankara for high-level defence talks aimed at strengthening military cooperation between Libya and Turkey, Turkish officials said.
Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah confirmed the deaths of Gen Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad and four other officers. In a statement posted on Facebook, he described the incident as a “tragic accident” that occurred as the delegation was returning home, calling it a “great loss” for the country.
Al-Haddad was the chief military commander in western Libya and played a key role in UN-backed efforts to unify the country’s divided armed forces, reflecting Libya’s broader institutional split.
The other officers killed were Gen Al-Fitouri Ghraibil, head of Libya’s ground forces; Brig Gen Mahmoud Al-Qatawi, who led the military manufacturing authority; Mohammed Al-Asawi Diab, advisor to the chief of staff; and Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, a military photographer attached to the chief of staff’s office. The identities of the three crew members were not immediately disclosed.
Turkish officials said the wreckage of the Falcon 50 business jet was located near Kesikkavak village in Haymana district, about 70 km south of Ankara.
Air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft on Tuesday evening while it was en route back to Libya after departing from Ankara’s Esenboga Airport. Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the plane took off at around 8.30 pm and contact was lost approximately 40 minutes later. He added that the aircraft had issued an emergency landing signal near Haymana before communication ceased.
According to Burhanettin Duran, head of Turkey’s presidential communications office, the plane reported an electrical fault and requested an emergency landing. It was redirected back to Esenboga Airport, where preparations for its arrival were under way. However, the aircraft disappeared from radar while descending for the emergency landing.
Security camera footage broadcast by local television channels showed a sudden flash in the night sky over Haymana, believed to be the moment of impact.
During the visit, al-Haddad had met Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler and other senior officials. Following the crash, Ankara’s airport was temporarily closed and several flights were diverted. Turkey’s Justice Ministry said four prosecutors had been assigned to investigate the incident, as per standard procedure.
Libya has also announced that it will send a team to Ankara to work alongside Turkish authorities in probing the crash.
Libya has remained deeply divided since the 2011 uprising that led to the fall of longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi. Rival administrations in the east and west, backed by militias and foreign powers, continue to vie for control.
Turkey has been a key ally of the western-based Libyan government, though it has recently sought to improve relations with the eastern administration as well. The Libyan delegation’s visit came a day after Turkey’s parliament approved a two-year extension of the mandate for Turkish troops deployed in Libya under a 2019 security and military cooperation agreement with the Tripoli-based government.
