A private aircraft crashed yesterday in Turkey, carrying five Libyan military officials, including armed forces chief Mohammed al-Haddad, and all were killed, as were the three crew members, among them a Greek flight attendant, according to Turkish media.
General al-Haddad was in Ankara for a meeting with Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Güler and other military leaders, according to the Turkish ministry.
The aircraft was traveling from Ankara to Tripoli and transmitted an SOS for an emergency landing in the Haymana area of Ankara; however, after that request, there was no further contact with the pilot.
Al-Haddad was head of the armed forces of the UN-recognized government of western Libya that controls Tripoli.
Al-Haddad had emerged during the 2011 uprising against Libya’s leader Moammar Gaddafi during the Arab Spring. The country has been divided since the 2020 ceasefire and since then al-Haddad has been head of the armed forces of the UN-recognized government of western Libya that controls Tripoli.
The oil-rich eastern region is controlled by an alliance of factions led by the Libyan National Army.
In a statement, Khalifa Hifter, who leads eastern Libya, expressed his condolences over the accident, describing the crash as a tragic accident.
Sources: Washington Post, Kathimerini
