Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, Libya’s army chief of staff, died in a plane crash near Ankara, Turkey. Four other officials and three crew members also died. The Falcon 50 jet crashed shortly after taking off from Esenboga Airport, likely because of a technical problem. This was a big blow to the country’s military leaders.
The private jet took off for Tripoli at about 8:30 p.m. local time, but 40 minutes later, it sent out an emergency signal because of an electrical problem. Authorities in Turkey confirmed that there were no survivors after finding wreckage near the village of Kesikkavak in the Haymana district, which is about 70 km south of Ankara. Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah, the Prime Minister of Libya, called the crash a “tragic accident” and a “great loss” for the country.
General al-Haddad was in charge of a group that was coming back from high-level defense talks in Ankara. The talks were meant to improve military cooperation between Libya and Turkey. The dead included Libya’s ground forces commander, the director of the military manufacturing authority, an adviser to the chief of staff, a photographer, and three crew members whose names are not known. Libya is in a state of national mourning because of what happened.
Turkish officials, such as Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, said that the plane asked to land quickly but crashed before it could reach Esenboga. Early investigations point to a technical failure, and sabotage has been ruled out. Investigators are checking black boxes to make sure. After the crash, flights were temporarily moved away from Ankara Airport.
