24 Dec 2025 - 09:16
The Kabul Tribune (KT) - According to Reuters, Libya’s army chief of staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, was killed on Tuesday when a plane carrying him crashed after departing from Turkey’s capital, Ankara. Four other people were also on board the aircraft.
Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah described the incident as tragic, calling it a major loss for Libya, its military, and the nation. He said the group was returning from an official visit to Ankara when the crash occurred.
Reuters reported that those on the plane included the commander of Libya’s ground forces, the head of the military manufacturing authority, an adviser to the chief of staff, and a photographer from his office.
Turkey’s interior minister said the jet took off from Ankara’s Esenboga Airport heading to Tripoli but lost radio contact less than an hour later. The wreckage was later found near a village in Ankara’s Haymana district. The aircraft had requested an emergency landing before contact was lost.
The cause of the crash has not yet been determined. Turkish authorities have launched an investigation.
Reuters also reported that Libya’s Government of National Unity announced three days of national mourning and said it would send a delegation to Ankara to follow the investigation. A Libyan official said the aircraft was a leased jet registered in Malta, and its ownership and technical history are being examined.
The crash came one day after Turkey’s parliament voted to extend the deployment of Turkish troops in Libya for another two years.
