Libya Military Chief Killed In Jet Crash After Takeoff From Ankara

A private jet carrying Libya’s military chief, four other officers and three crew members crashed on Tuesday after takeoff from Turkey’s capital, Ankara, killing everyone on board. According to Libyan officials, the plane's technical issue was the reason of the disaster.

According to Turkish sources, the Libyan group was in Ankara for high-level defence discussions intended to strengthen military cooperation between the two nations.

In a Facebook statement, Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah confirmed the deaths of Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad and the four officers, stating that the "tragic accident" occurred on the delegation's return home. The prime minister described it as Libya's "great loss."

Al-Hadad was the top military commander in western Libya and played a crucial role in the ongoing, U.N.-brokered efforts to unify Libya’s military, which has split, much like Libya’s institutions.

Gen. Al-Fitouri Ghraibil, the commander of Libya's ground forces; Brig. Gen. Mahmoud Al-Qatawi, the head of the military manufacturing authority; Mohammed Al-Asawi Diab, the chief of staff's advisor; and Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, a military photographer with the chief of staff's office, were the other four officers who perished in the crash.

The three crew members' identities were not immediately revealed.

The Falcon 50 type business jet's wreckage was discovered close to the village of Kesikkavak in Haymana, a district located around 70 kilometres (43.5 miles) south of Ankara, according to Turkish officials.

Turkey's air traffic controllers reported earlier on Tuesday night that they had lost communication with the aircraft, which was returning to Libya, following takeoff from the Esenboga airport in Ankara.

Burhanettin Duran, the head of Turkish presidential communications office, said the plane notified air traffic control of an electrical fault and requested an emergency landing. The aircraft was redirected back to Esenboga where preparations for its landing began.

The plane however, disappeared from the radar while descending for the emergency landing, Duran said.

Security camera footage aired on local television stations showed the night sky over Haymana suddenly lit up by what appeared to be an explosion.

While in Ankara, al-Haddad had met with Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler and other officials.

The airport in Ankara was temporarily closed and several flights were diverted to other locations. Turkey’s Justice Ministry said four prosecutors have been assigned to investigate the crash, as is common in such incidents.

According to a government statement on Facebook, Libya will send a team to Ankara to work with Turkish authorities on investigating the crash.

Libya plunged into chaos after the country’s 2011 uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The country split, with rival administrations based in the east and west, backed by an array of rogue militias and foreign governments.

Although Turkey has been a western ally of Libya's government, it has recently made efforts to strengthen its relationship with the country's eastern government as well.

The Libyan delegation's visit on Tuesday took place one day after the Turkish parliament authorised a two-year extension of the Turkish forces' mandate in Libya. After Ankara and the administration in Tripoli negotiated a security and military cooperation deal in 2019, Turkey sent troops there.