French Crew Members Die in Crash That Kills Libya's Top Military Officer

A tragic accident in Turkey has claimed the lives of two French crew members and Libya's armed forces chief, Lieutenant General Mohammed al-Haddad. The crash occurred on Tuesday shortly after takeoff from Ankara's airport, killing the Libyan military leader and four of his aides. According to a French diplomatic source, the crew members who lost their lives in the crash were nationals of France. The source, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed that the French foreign ministry is providing assistance to the families of the deceased. The Turkish authorities have recovered the voice recorder and flight data recorder from the aircraft, which crash-landed in the Haymana district near Ankara. Contact was lost with the plane 42 minutes after takeoff, with the crew sending an emergency landing notification. The Dassault Falcon 50, a French-made long-range business jet, was chartered from a private company based in Malta. While Harmony Jets, the company that operated the aircraft, declined to provide information on the nationalities or identities of the crew, reports suggest that the pilot and copilot were French, and a Greek cabin flight attendant was also on board. The investigation into the crash is being led by Turkish authorities, with France's BEA agency participating in the probe. The flight recorders are expected to be analyzed in a neutral country, with Germany being considered as a potential location. The Libyan armed forces chief was in Ankara for a meeting with his Turkish counterpart when the crash occurred. The incident highlights the ongoing tensions in Libya, where the country has been divided since the 2011 overthrow of longtime leader Moamer Kadhafi.