ALBAWABA- Libya’s Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Mohamed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, was killed when a plane carrying a senior military delegation crashed shortly after taking off from Ankara’s Esenboğa Airport last night, Turkish and Libyan officials said. At least four other Libyan military officers also died in the incident.
The aircraft went down around 4:00 p.m. local time, with initial reports pointing to a technical malfunction. Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah confirmed the deaths, calling the crash a “tragic accident” as the delegation was returning to Tripoli following official meetings in Turkey.
Al-Haddad, appointed in 2021 as chief of staff of the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU), had been in Ankara for high-level talks with Turkish officials on military cooperation, security coordination, and efforts to unify Libya’s divided armed forces.
Turkey has been a key supporter of the GNU since 2019, providing military assistance under bilateral defense and maritime agreements.
The incident comes against the backdrop of Libya’s prolonged post-2011 instability, marked by rivalry between western authorities recognized by the United Nations and UAE-backed eastern forces led by Gen. Khalifa Haftar.
