The Prime Minister of the UN-recognized Libyan government, Abdalhamid Dubayba, announced on Tuesday that the Chief of the Libyan General Staff, Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, was killed in a plane crash in Turkey. Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya reported the discovery of the wreckage of the plane in Haymana district shortly before, but he has not yet confirmed the possible deaths. TASR informs about it according to AP, AFP and Reuters reports.
Yerlikaya announced on Tuesday evening that Turkish air traffic controllers lost contact with the private plane more than 40 minutes after take off from Ankara airport. The plane was headed to Tripoli. He said the plane signaled an emergency landing near Hayman County, south of the capital, before losing contact. Turkish media released footage of what appeared to be an explosion over Haymana.
The Libyan Prime Minister subsequently stated on Facebook that a tragic accident occurred during the return of the Libyan delegation from an official trip in Ankara, and confirmed the death of five crew members, including the Chief of the General Staff. Libyan officials say they lost contact with the plane about half an hour after takeoff due to a technical malfunction.
According to the AP agency, Al-Haddad was the highest military official in western Libya. Played a key role in ongoing UN-brokered efforts to unify the Libyan military. The military in Libya is divided, as are the institutions there.
