At least eight people associated with the high command of Libya's armed forces were killed on Tuesday night in an air accident
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The Chief of Staff of the Libyan Army, Lieutenant General Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, died along with seven other people after the crash of an executive jet that occurred on Tuesday night near Ankara, according to Libyan and Turkish authorities. The accident occurred shortly after takeoff from Esenboğa International Airport and left no survivors.
The aircraft, a Falcon 50 used for business purposes, crashed in the Haymana district, about 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) south of the Turkish capital. The plane had departed at 8:10 p.m. local time bound for Tripoli and was carrying eight people, including senior Libyan military officers and three crew members.
The Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity (GUN), Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah, confirmed the deaths in a statement released on social media and described the incident as a "tragic accident."
El Jefe del Estado Mayor de las Fuerzas Armadas de Libia se encuentra entre las fatalidades
According to the explanation given by the Interior Minister of Türkiye, Ali Yerlikaya, at 8:33 p.m. the crew informed air traffic control of an emergency caused by an electrical failure and requested an emergency landing.
The authorities redirected the flight back to Esenboğa and initiated the corresponding protocols, but the plane disappeared from radar at 8:36 p.m. while it was descending to land. Images from security cameras broadcast by local television showed a flash in the night sky, apparently an explosion, at the moment of impact.
Search and rescue teams located the wreckage of the aircraft near the village of Kesikkavak. The Ministry of Justice of Türkiye appointed four prosecutors to investigate the accident and confirmed that the black box was recovered on Wednesday.
"The processes of examination and evaluation of these devices have already begun," Yerlikaya stated from the crash site. The first inquiries, according to Turkish officials, rule out sabotage and point to a technical failure as the probable cause.
El accidente se produjo cerca del pueblo turco de Kesikkavak y los funcionarios turcos han descartado un sabotaje como causa de la tragedia
Among the victims are four other senior Libyan officers: General Al-Fitouri Ghraibil, head of the ground forces; Brigadier General Mahmoud Al-Qatawi, director of the Military Manufacturing Authority; an adviser to the Chief of Staff and a military photographer. The jet was registered in Malta and had been leased. The identities of the crew members were not immediately disclosed.
The Libyan Government announced that it will send a delegation to Ankara to cooperate with the investigation, although officials indicated that there is still no estimated date for the publication of the final report. After the accident, Esenboğa Airport was temporarily closed and several flights were diverted.
Al-Haddad's death represents a significant blow to the military structure of western Libya. The general had held the position of Chief of Staff since August 2020 and was a key figure in the efforts led by the United Nations to unify the country's armed forces, which have been fragmented since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Libya remains divided between the Government of National Unity based in Tripoli and a rival administration in the east, led by Commander Khalifa Haftar.
Las fuerzas armadas de Libia mantienen una fuerte división desde la caída de Gaddafi
Despite political tensions, Haftar expressed his "deep regret" over the deaths of al-Haddad and General Ghraibil, while the House of Representatives based in Benghazi also offered condolences. The GUN declared three days of official mourning throughout the country.
The Libyan delegation was in Ankara to hold high-level talks on defense cooperation. During the visit, al-Haddad met with Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and with other senior military officials.
The trip took place one day after the Parliament of Türkiye approved the extension for two years of the mandate of Turkish troops deployed in Libya under a cooperation agreement signed in 2019.
Turquía extendió la permanencia de sus tropas desplegadas en Libia por dos años más
