Libya’s military chief and 7 others killed in plane crash soon after takeoff from Turkey, probe on | World News

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah confirmed the death of General Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad and the four officers, stating that the “tragic accident” took place as the delegation was returning home to Tripoli, over a Facebook post. The prime minister offered condolences to the families of the victims, calling it a “great loss” for Libya.

Al-Haddad was the top military commander in western Libya and played a crucial role in the ongoing, UN-brokered efforts to unify Libya’s split military.

Others who were killed

The four other officers who died in the crash were Gen. Al-Fitouri Ghraibil, the 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 with the chief of staff’s office.

The identities of the three crew members were not immediately known, however, according to CNNTurk, all of them were French nationals.

Turkish officials said the wreckage of the Falcon 50 type business jet was found near the village of Kesikkavak, in Haymana, a district some 70 kilometers (about 43.5 miles) south of Ankara, AP quoted.

How did the tragedy unfold?

On Tuesday evening, Turkey’s air traffic controllers (ATCs) said they lost contact with the plane carrying Al-Haddad and others, which was en route back to Libya, shortly after it departed from Ankara’s Esenboga airport.

If you are enjoying this post, will you share it with someone else who might, too?




Share this article

Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, confirmed over a social media post that the plane took off at 8:30 pm and lost contact just 40 minutes later. The plane issued an emergency landing signal near Haymana before all communication ceased, Yerlikaya said.

Burhanettin Duran, the head of Turkish presidential communications office, said the plane notified the ATC of an electrical fault and requested an emergency landing. The aircraft was redirected back to Esenboga where preparations for its landing began. The plane, however, disappeared from the radar while descending for the emergency landing, Duran said.

According to security camera footage, the night sky over Haymana suddenly lit up by what appeared to be an explosion.

In a later statement, Yerlikaya informed “the wreckage” of the aircraft had been reached by the Turkish army forces about 2 km south of the Kesikkavak Village in Haymana District, CNN quoted.

Probe launched

Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc, meanwhile, has launched an investigation into the crash, which will look into “all its aspects and with great care,” the report stated.

Four prosecutors have been assigned to carry out the probe, AP noted.

According to a government statement on Facebook, Libya will send a team to Ankara to work with Turkish authorities on investigating the crash.

The airport in Ankara was temporarily closed and several flights were diverted to other locations, following the incident.

Why was the Libyan delegation in Turkey?

Al-Haddad met with Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler and other officials in Ankara on Tuesday.

Turkey is an ally of Libya’s government in the west, with an improvement in its ties with the eastern government in recent times. Tuesday’s visit by the Libyan delegation came a day after Turkey’s parliament approved to extend the mandate of Turkish troops serving in Libya for two years, according to news agency AP.

Turkey had deployed troops in Libya following a 2019 security and military cooperation agreement between Ankara and the Tripoli-based government.