ANKARA – Libya’s army chief of staff General Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad and four others were killed in a plane crash shortly after takingoff from Esenboğa Airport in Ankara, Turkiye.
The flight, bound for Libya’s capital, Tripoli, encountered a sudden technical failure about 30 minutes after departure.
According to Turkish authorities, the plane lost contact with air traffic control, and attempts were made to return to Ankara. However, before the aircraft could land, it crashed near the town of Hemanah. The crash occurred at 8:52 PM, just 42 minutes after the plane’s departure at 8:10 PM.
Chief of Staff of the Ground Forces, Lieutenant General Al-Fitouri Gharibil, Director of the Military Manufacturing Authority, Brigadier General Mahmoud Al-Qatawi, advisor to the Chief of the General Staff of the Libyan Army, Professor Muhammad Al-Asawi Diab and the photographer at the Media Office of the Chief of the General Staff, Professor Muhammad Omar Ahmed Mahjoub lost their lives in the incidents.
Libya’s Prime Minister, Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, confirmed the death of the army chief in the crash.
“It is with great sadness and sorrow that we received the news of the death of the Chief of the General Staff of the Libyan Army, Lieutenant General Mohammed Al-Haddad, and his companions,” he said in a post shared on X.
ببالغ الحزن والأسى، تلقّينا نبأ وفاة رئيس الأركان العامة للجيش الليبي الفريق أول ركن محمد الحداد ومرافقيه
رئيس أركان القوات البرية الفريق ركن الفيتوري غريبيل
ومدير جهاز التصنيع العسكري العميد محمود القطيوي
ومستشار رئيس الأركان العامة للجيش الليبي الأستاذ محمد العصاوي دياب…— عبدالحميد الدبيبة Abdulhamid AlDabaiba (@Dabaibahamid) December 23, 2025
“This great tragedy is a great loss for the nation, the military establishment, and all the people, as we have lost men who served their country with sincerity and dedication and were an example of discipline, responsibility, and national commitment.”
“Our deepest condolences and sincere sympathy to the families of those we lost and to their comrades in the armed forces. We ask God Almighty to have mercy on them, to grant them paradise, and to inspire their families and loved ones with patience and solace,” he wrote.
General Al-Haddad had visited Turkey earlier in the day, where he met with Turkish defense officials before returning to Libya. The tragedy has led to heightened security and rescue operations in the region.
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