Libya’s chief army officer, Mohamed Ali al-Haddad, and four other senior military officials were killed in a plane crash in Turkey on Tuesday night, December 23, Libyan prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeiba has confirmed.
Dbeiba described the incident as tragic and painful, saying it occurred as the officials were returning from an official trip to the Turkish city of Ankara.
“This grave loss is a great loss for the nation, for the military institution, and for all the people,” Dbeiba said.
Al-Haddad, the chief of general staff of the Libyan armed forces, had been in Turkey for meetings with the Turkish defence minister and other officials, according to the Turkish military.
He later departed Ankara aboard a private jet en route to Libya.
Turkish authorities stated that the Falcon 50 jet lost radio contact shortly after takeoff from Ankara.
The aircraft was carrying five passengers and three crew members.
According to Turkish officials, the jet reported an electrical failure to air traffic control about 15 minutes after departure and requested an emergency landing.
Although it was redirected back to Ankara’s airport, the plane disappeared from radar while descending, and contact could not be re-established.
The wreckage was later found in the Haymana district, approximately 40 miles southwest of central Ankara.
Al-Haddad held the highest position in Libya’s armed forces under the internationally recogniszed government of national unity in Tripoli.
Appointed in 2020, he led efforts to organize and unify the Libyan military under official state authority.
Libya has remained politically divided since the 2011 death of Muammar Gaddafi, with rival factions controlling different parts of the country.
The eastern region, based in Tobruk, has its own administration and is under the influence of military commander Khalifa Haftar.
Those who died alongside Al-Haddad were identified as Al-Fitouri Ghribel, a major general and chief of staff of the land forces; Mahmoud Al-Qattouwi, a brigadier general and director of the military manufacturing authority; Mohamed Al-Asawi Diab, adviser to the chief of the general staff; and Mohamed Mahjoub, a photographer with the media office of the chief of the general staff.
Mohamed Menfi, Chairman of the Libyan presidential council, described the deaths as a significant loss to both the military and the nation, noting that the officials had dedicated their lives to Libya’s stability and national interests.
The government of national unity has announced three days of official mourning.
Flags will be flown at half-staff at state institutions, and official ceremonies will be suspended.
The prime minister’s Office has directed the defence ministry to send a delegation to Ankara to coordinate with Turkish authorities and assist in the investigation.
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