Libya’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Mohammed Al-Haddad died alongside four senior officials in a Tuesday night plane crash near Ankara, Turkish and Libyan officials confirmed. Their Falcon 50 aircraft crashed in Haymana district shortly after takeoff from Esenboga airport.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya reported that security forces located the wreckage. Three crew members also perished in the fiery crash witnessed by locals.
Turkish communications director Burhanettin Duran stated the jet requested an emergency landing 16 minutes airborne due to electrical failure. “Contact was lost” 42 minutes after departure, Yerlikaya added on social media platform X. Ankara’s chief prosecutor immediately launched a formal investigation into the tragedy. Libyan Minister Walid Ellafi told Libya al-Ahrar TV, “We received a call from Turkish authorities immediately after losing contact with the plane.”
Political Shockwaves
Libya’s Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah expressed “deep sadness and great sorrow” over Haddad’s death on Facebook. Haddad had met Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler earlier that day before returning to Tripoli, with his delegation including advisors Mohammed Al-Assawi, Major Generals Al-Fitouri Ghraibil and Mohammed Jumaa, plus escort Mohammed Al-Mahjoub.
Lieutenant General Mohammed al-Haddad served as the army’s chief of staff since 2020 and maintained strong ties with Turkish leaders.
Turkey continues to support the UN-recognised government in Tripoli while simultaneously reaching out to the rival administration in the east. This tragic accident removes a central figure from Libya’s complex military landscape during a period of delicate regional diplomacy. Experts believe this loss might impact the ongoing security cooperation between the two nations as they investigate the crash.
