Libya’s top military commander and seven others were killed on Tuesday when a private jet crashed shortly after taking off from Turkey’s capital, Ankara, Libyan and Turkish officials said. The aircraft was carrying Libya’s military chief, four senior officers and three crew members. Libyan authorities said a technical malfunction caused the crash.
Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah confirmed the death of Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, describing the incident as a “tragic accident” and a “great loss” for the country. The delegation had been in Ankara for high-level defense talks aimed at strengthening military cooperation between Libya and Turkey and was returning home when the crash occurred.
Al-Haddad was the top military commander in western Libya and played a key role in U.N.-brokered efforts to reunify Libya’s divided armed forces. The other officers killed were Gen. Al-Fitouri Ghraibil, head of Libya’s ground forces; Brig. Gen. Mahmoud Al-Qatawi, chief of the military manufacturing authority; Mohammed Al-Asawi Diab, an adviser to the chief of staff; and Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, a military photographer. The identities of the three crew members were not immediately released.
Turkish officials said the Falcon 50 business jet went down near the village of Kesikkavak in the Haymana district, about 70 kilometers south of Ankara. Air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane about 40 minutes after its 8:30 p.m. departure from Esenboga Airport.
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According to Turkish authorities, the aircraft reported an electrical fault and requested an emergency landing before disappearing from radar while descending. Security camera footage broadcast on local television showed a flash resembling an explosion lighting up the night sky over the crash area.
Ankara’s airport was temporarily closed and flights were diverted. Turkey’s Justice Ministry said four prosecutors have been assigned to investigate the crash. Libya announced it would send a team to Ankara to assist with the investigation.
The incident comes amid renewed diplomatic and military engagement between the two countries. Turkey has long supported Libya’s western-based government and recently extended the mandate of Turkish troops deployed in Libya under a 2019 security agreement.
Source: AP