Libya’s Chief of General Staff, Mohammed al-Haddad, has died alongside other senior military officials following a plane crash in Turkey, the Libyan government confirmed on Tuesday.
Okay News reports that the aircraft went down shortly after departing Ankara, Turkey’s capital, after a visit by the Libyan delegation. Turkish authorities later located the wreckage of the plane.
Reacting to the incident, Abdulhamid Dbeibah, Libya’s Prime Minister, announced the death in a statement posted on his official Facebook page.
“It is with deep sadness and great sorrow that we learnt of the death of the Libyan army’s chief of general staff,” Dbeibah said.
Confirming the crash, Ali Yerlikaya, Turkey’s Interior Minister, said the country’s gendarmerie discovered the wreckage shortly after the aircraft took off from Ankara.
Okay News reports that al-Haddad had served as Libya’s army chief of general staff since August 2020, following his appointment by former prime minister Fayez al-Sarraj. He was widely regarded as a central figure in Libya’s post-conflict military leadership.
Dbeibah disclosed that the plane was also carrying other high-ranking military officers, as well as a photographer, all of whom were killed in the crash.
Describing the incident as a major national setback, the prime minister said the country had lost dedicated servants of the state.
“We have lost men who served their country with loyalty and dedication and were examples of discipline, responsibility and national commitment,” he added.
