The Government of National Unity (GNU) and the Libyan people are in a state of mourning following the tragic death of the Chief of Staff of the Libyan Army, Lieutenant General Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, in a fatal plane crash on Tuesday.
The incident occurred shortly after the General and his delegation departed from Ankara’s Esenboğa Airport following a successful high-level official visit to the Republic of Türkiye.
The Libyan army’s chief of staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, died in a plane crash after leaving Turkey’s capital Ankara, the prime minister of Libya’s internationally recognized government said https://t.co/zSJHSB51cA pic.twitter.com/LhDVLlZrKx
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 24, 2025
Details of the Incident
According to official reports from the Turkish Ministry of Interior, the aircraft—a leased Dassault Falcon 50—departed Ankara at 17:10 GMT bound for Tripoli. Radio contact was lost at 17:52 GMT. Although the crew issued a request for an emergency landing while over the Haymana district, contact was severed before the maneuver could be completed. Wreckage was later located near Kesikkavak village.
National Loss
Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah expressed profound grief in a national address, describing the event as a “grave loss for the nation and the military institution.” Along with General Al-Haddad, the nation mourns four other dedicated personnel who were on board:
- The Commander of the Ground Forces
- The Director of the Military Manufacturing Authority
- A Senior Adviser to the Chief of Staff
- An official photographer from the Chief of Staff’s office
Diplomatic and Technical Follow-up
The Tripoli-based GNU has confirmed that the Ministry of Defence is dispatching an official delegation to Ankara to oversee the recovery proceedings and the subsequent investigation.
State Minister Walid Ellafi noted that while the aircraft was a leased Maltese jet, a full investigation into its technical history and ownership is underway. Turkish Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç has also confirmed that Turkish authorities have launched a formal inquiry into the cause of the crash.
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A Legacy of Service
The visit to Ankara, which included high-level meetings with Turkish Defence Minister Yaşar Güler and General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu, was intended to strengthen bilateral military cooperation. General Al-Haddad’s leadership during a complex period in Libya’s history has been lauded as instrumental in the professionalization of the military forces under the GNU.
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