Libyan Army Chief, 4 Others Killed in Plane Crash in Turkey

Guwahati: Libyan Army’s chief of staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, and four other military officials were killed in a tragic plane crash while returning home from an official visit to Turkey on Tuesday, reports said.

Libya’s Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah in a statement said, “It is with deep sadness and great sorrow that we learnt of the death of the Libyan army’s chief of general staff, Mohammed al-Haddad. This followed a tragic and painful incident while they were returning from an official trip from the Turkish city of Ankara. This grave loss is a great loss for the nation, for the military institution, and for all the people.”

The Prime Minister stated that along with Al-Haddad, four other companions including 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 were also in the aircraft.

The four other deceased has been identified as Chief of Staff of the Ground Forces Maj. Gen. Al-Fitouri Ghreibel; Director of the Military Manufacturing Authority Brig. Gen. Mahmoud Al-Qatioui; adviser to the Chief of Staff of the Libyan Army, Mohamed Al-Asawi Diab; and media office photographer Mohamed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub.

On the other hand, PM al-Dbeibah also offered condolences to the families of the victims, calling the loss a tragedy for the nation and the military institution.

Reports have stated that the Libyan delegation had visited Ankara for high level defence talks aimed to boost military cooperation between the two countries.

Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya stated that the plane took off from the Ankara Airport at 8:10 pm (local time) on Tuesday, and radio contact was lost at around 8:52 pm. He also stated that authorities found the plane’s wreckage near the Kesikkavak village in Ankara’s Haymana district.

So far, the cause of the crash has not been ascertained so far. Reports said that an investigation into the incident is underway. On the other hand, the Libyan PM has directed the defence minister to send an official delegation to Ankara to follow up on the proceedings.

Turkish media outlets have sown images of the explosion after which the sky lit up. This location was not far away from the point where the aircraft sent a signal.

Reportedly, Libya’s minister of state for communication and political affairs, Walid Ellafi stated that the Turkish government informed his government about the incident.

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