Skip to content 
Libyan army chief of staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, died in a plane crash on Tuesday along with four others on board after departing from Ankara, Turkiye. Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah called the incident “a grave loss for the nation, the military institution, and all the people.”
The passengers included the commander of Libya’s ground forces, the director of its military manufacturing authority, an adviser to the chief of staff, and a photographer from the chief of staff’s office.
Details of the Crash and Investigation
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya reported on X that the Dassault Falcon 50 jet took off from Ankara’s Esenboga Airport at 1710 GMT, en route to Tripoli, and lost radio contact at 1752 GMT. Authorities later found the wreckage near Kesikkavak village in Haymana district.
The plane had requested an emergency landing while over Haymana, but officials could not establish contact. Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc confirmed that authorities had launched an investigation into the crash.
Tripoli-based GNU stated that the prime minister directed the defence minister to send an official delegation to Ankara to follow up. GNU state minister Walid Ellafi said the leased Maltese jet’s ownership and technical history remain unclear, but authorities will investigate.
Earlier, Turkiye’s defence ministry announced Haddad’s visit, noting he had met with Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler, his counterpart Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, and other Turkish military commanders.
