The head of the Libyan Armed Forces, General Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, has been killed in a plane crash in Turkey. The incident occurred shortly after his official delegation departed from Ankara.
Libya’s Prime Minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, confirmed the tragedy, stating that the general and four other Libyan officials perished when their aircraft went down. The group was returning from an official visit to the Turkish capital. The Prime Minister described the loss as profound for the nation and its military.
Turkish authorities reported that the private jet, a Dassault Falcon 50, took off from Ankara’s Esenboğa Airport bound for Tripoli. Radio contact was lost less than an hour into the flight. Wreckage was later located in a rural district near the capital.
According to Turkish officials, the pilot had declared an emergency due to an electrical failure and requested permission for an emergency landing, but no further communication was established.
The other Libyan victims included the commander of the ground forces, the director of military manufacturing, a senior adviser, and an official photographer.
General al-Haddad’s visit included high-level meetings with Turkish defense officials. The crash comes just one day after Turkey’s parliament approved a two-year extension for its military presence in Libya.
Turkey has been a key international supporter of the Tripoli-based government, providing military training and signing contested maritime and energy agreements. In a recent diplomatic shift, Ankara has also increased engagement with factions in eastern Libya.
