Libyan Army Chief Dies in Plane Crash

Libya’s chief of general staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, was killed when a private jet carrying him and several senior officers crashed near Türkiye’s capital, Ankara, shortly after take-off.

All passengers and crew on board the aircraft died. Alongside al-Haddad, the crash claimed the lives of four other senior Libyan military officials and three crew members.

The crash occurred just a day after news emerged that Pakistan and Libyan authorities had reached a landmark military equipment agreement.

Turkish officials said early findings suggest the aircraft went down due to a technical malfunction, with no indications of foul play. Libya’s Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah confirmed the deaths in a statement, describing the incident as a “tragic accident” that occurred as the delegation was returning to Tripoli after official meetings.

Al-Haddad was the most senior military commander in western Libya and a key figure in United Nations-backed efforts to reunify the country, which has remained politically fractured since the 2011 uprising that ended Muammar Gaddafi’s rule.

The officers who also died were identified as General Al-Fitouri Gharibil, commander of Libya’s ground forces; Brigadier General Mahmoud Al-Qatawi, head of the Military Manufacturing Authority; Muhammad Al-Asawi Diab, adviser to the chief of staff; and Muhammad Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, a military photographer attached to al-Haddad’s office.

The Libyan delegation had been in Ankara for senior-level defence discussions aimed at strengthening military cooperation between Libya and Türkiye, according to Turkish officials.

Following the crash, Libya’s UN-recognized Government of National Unity (GNU) announced three days of national mourning. Flags at state institutions will be flown at half-mast, and official events have been suspended.

Türkiye’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the aircraft departed Ankara’s Esenboga Airport at 8:10pm local time and lost contact with air traffic control roughly 40 minutes later. Wreckage was later found near Kesikkavak village in Ankara’s Haymana district.

Officials said the Dassault Falcon 50 jet had reported an electrical issue and requested an emergency landing. While preparations were underway for its return to Esenboga Airport, the plane disappeared from radar during its descent.

Footage broadcast on Turkish television showed a sudden flash lighting up the night sky in the area where the crash occurred. Türkiye’s justice minister said prosecutors in Ankara have opened a formal investigation.

Libyan authorities said they will dispatch a technical team to Türkiye to participate in the inquiry alongside Turkish investigators.

GNU State Minister for Political Affairs Walid Ellafi said it remains unclear when a full investigation report will be completed, adding that the aircraft was a leased jet registered in Malta, with limited information currently available about its technical background.

The crash occurred just days after al-Haddad met senior Turkish defense officials in Ankara and a day after Türkiye’s parliament voted to extend the deployment of Turkish troops in Libya for another two years.

Ankara maintains close political and military ties with the Tripoli-based government, having provided training, support, and cooperation agreements in defence, maritime boundaries, and energy exploration, while also recently expanding contacts with eastern Libyan authorities under its “One Libya” approach.