Libya Army Chief Killed as Business Jet Crashes Near Ankara
Libya’s army chief and senior officials were killed when a business jet returning from defence talks crashed near Ankara, Turkish and Libyan authorities said.
A business jet crash near Ankara has killed Libya’s chief of staff, Mohamed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, and several senior military and civilian officials, Libyan and Turkish authorities confirmed on Tuesday.
The Dassault Falcon 50 jet departed Ankara’s Esenboga Airport at 8:10 p.m. local time en route to Tripoli but vanished from radar about 40 minutes later. Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said air traffic control received an emergency landing request near the Haymana district before contact was lost.
Wreckage was later found in a rural area south of Ankara. Turkish media broadcast security camera footage showing a large explosion at the crash site, while flight-tracking data indicated the aircraft experienced problems shortly after takeoff. Flights at Ankara airport were temporarily suspended following the incident.
Libya remains divided between rival political and military factions more than a decade after the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ousted Muammar Gaddafi. Although the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity is internationally recognised, security institutions remain fragmented, making senior military leadership central to maintaining fragile stability.
Turkey has emerged as one of Libya’s most influential foreign backers in recent years, providing military training, equipment and political support to the Tripoli government. High-level defence visits between the two countries have become frequent as Ankara seeks to maintain its strategic presence in North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean.
Libya’s Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh confirmed that the victims included the chief of Libya’s ground forces, Fattouri Gharibiel; military industries director Mahmoud al-Qattawi; senior adviser Mohamed al-Assawi Diab; and a media office photographer. All were returning from an official visit to Turkey.
Turkey’s defence ministry said al-Haddad had travelled to Ankara at the formal invitation of Turkey’s military leadership and held talks earlier in the day with Defence Minister Yasar Guler, underscoring close defence cooperation between Ankara and Tripoli.
The aircraft was identified as a French-made, three-engine Falcon 50 business jet commonly used for government and executive travel. Some media reports said the jet was operated by a Malta-based private company, though ownership details have not been officially confirmed.
Turkish authorities have launched a joint civilian-military investigation into the crash, examining flight data, weather conditions and maintenance records. Aviation experts cautioned it was too early to determine whether technical failure or other factors caused the accident.
The deaths of Libya’s top military commander and several senior officials mark a major blow to the country’s security leadership, raising questions about succession and continuity as Libya struggles to consolidate state authority and prevent renewed instability.
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