Ankara:Libya’s army chief of staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed al Haddad, was killed on Monday when a private jet carrying senior Libyan military officials crashed in central Turkey, Turkish and Libyan authorities said.
The aircraft went down shortly after taking off from Ankara, where the Libyan delegation had been on an official visit for defence talks. All eight people on board, including senior officers and crew members, were killed in the crash.
Officials said the jet lost contact with air traffic control after reporting a technical problem and requesting an emergency return. Wreckage was later found in a rural area south of Ankara. Emergency teams reached the site but there were no survivors.
Along with General al Haddad, those killed included the chief of Libya’s ground forces, a senior military manufacturing official, an adviser to the army chief and a military photographer. The Libyan government confirmed the deaths and announced days of national mourning.
Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah described the incident as a heavy loss for the country and its armed forces. He said General al Haddad had played an important role in efforts to reorganise and unify Libya’s military institutions after years of conflict.
Turkish authorities said an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the crash. Early findings point to a possible technical failure, while officials said there were no immediate indications of sabotage or an attack.
Turkey and Libya maintain close military and political ties, and the visit was part of ongoing cooperation between the two countries. Investigators are expected to analyse flight data and wreckage in the coming days to establish what led to the accident.