Libyan Military’s Chief of Staff and 4 Others Are Killed in Plane Crash in Turkey

The internationally recognized government of Libya confirmed the deaths of Lt. Gen. Mohamed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, the army chief of general staff, and other officers flying home after a meeting in Turkey.

Libya’s highest-ranking army officer, Lt. Gen. Mohamed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, and four other Libyan military officials were killed in a plane crash in Turkey on Tuesday night, according to the Libyan prime minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeiba.

General al-Haddad, the Libyan military’s chief of general staff, had been meeting in Turkey with his counterpart, the Turkish defense minister and other military officials on Tuesday, the Turkish military said. He later left in a private jet to return to Libya, according to Turkey’s Interior Ministry.

In the evening, Turkish officials said that the plane he and four other passengers had been traveling in lost radio contact shortly after taking off from Ankara, the Turkish capital. Three crew members were also on board, the Turkish government said.

The wreckage of the aircraft, a Falcon 50 jet, was found in the Haymana district of Turkey, about 40 miles southwest of central Ankara. Turkish television on Tuesday night showed crews searching the site, where pieces of the plane were scattered all around.

The Turkish government’s chief spokesman, Burhanettin Duran, said late on Tuesday that the private jet reported an electrical failure to air traffic controllers and requested an emergency landing about 15 minutes after taking off.

The plane was redirected back to the airport in Ankara, but after it started to descend, it disappeared from radar screens within minutes and contact could not be reestablished, Mr. Duran said.

General al-Haddad held the highest position within the Libyan armed forces under the internationally recognized government, the Government of National Unity, in Tripoli, the capital. Appointed in 2020, he led efforts to organize and unify the Libyan Army under the authority of the official state institutions.

But Libya has long been divided between factions that have battled intermittently for control, and much of the country is controlled by a rival government and militia, based in Tobruk. The eastern part of the country has its own prime minister and the region is ruled by Gen. Khalifa Hifter, a warlord.

In addition to General al-Haddad, among those on the plane were Maj. Gen. Al-Fitouri Ghribel, chief of staff of the land forces; Brig. Mahmoud Al-Qattouwi, director of the Military Manufacturing Authority; Mohamed Al-Asawi Diab, adviser to the chief of the general staff of the Libyan Army; and Mohamed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, a photographer at the news media office of the chief of the general staff.

Turkish prosecutors have begun an investigation into the crash, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said on social media.

The chairman of the Libyan presidential council, Mohamed Menfi, said on social media late Tuesday that the deaths represented a significant loss for the Libyan military, and for the nation as a whole. Mr. Menfi added that those who died had dedicated their lives to serving the country and had placed Libya’s stability and its interests above all else.

Libya’s Government of National Unity announced that the country would officially observe three days of mourning to honor those who had died in the crash. Flags will be flown at half-staff at all state institutions, and official ceremonies will be suspended.

Libya’s state news agency reported that the prime minister’s office had directed the defense ministry to send an official delegation to Ankara to investigate the crash and coordinate with the Turkish authorities.

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