Libya’s Military Chief Dies in Plane Crash After Takeoff

Libya’s top military commander and seven others were killed on Tuesday when a private jet crashed shortly after taking off from Turkey’s capital, Ankara, officials from both countries said.

The aircraft was carrying Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, four senior Libyan military officers and three crew members. Libyan authorities said the crash was caused by a technical malfunction.

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah confirmed al-Haddad’s death, calling the incident a “tragic accident” and a “great loss” for the nation. The delegation had been in Ankara for high-level defence talks aimed at strengthening military cooperation between Libya and Turkey and was returning home when the crash occurred.

Al-Haddad served as the top military commander in western Libya and was a central figure in United Nations–backed efforts to reunify the country’s divided armed forces.

Those killed alongside him included Gen. Al-Fitouri Ghraibil, head of Libya’s ground forces; Brig. Gen. Mahmoud al-Qatawi, chief of the military manufacturing authority; Mohammed al-Asawi Diab, an adviser to the chief of staff; and Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, a military photographer. The names of the three crew members were not immediately released.

Turkish officials said the Falcon 50 business jet crashed near the village of Kesikkavak in the Haymana district, around 70 kilometres south of Ankara. Air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft about 40 minutes after it departed Esenboga Airport at 8:30pm.

According to Turkish authorities, the jet reported an electrical failure and requested an emergency landing before disappearing from radar during its descent. Security camera footage broadcast locally showed a flash resembling an explosion illuminating the night sky near the crash site.

Ankara’s airport was temporarily closed following the incident, and flights were diverted. Turkey’s Justice Ministry said four prosecutors have been appointed to investigate the crash, while Libya announced it would send a team to Ankara to assist with the probe.

The crash comes amid renewed diplomatic and military engagement between Libya and Turkey. Ankara has long supported Libya’s western-based government and recently extended the mandate of Turkish troops deployed under a 2019 security agreement.