Libya's Top Military Commander Killed in Ankara Plane Crash

A devastating plane crash in central Turkey has claimed the lives of Libya's top military commander and several senior officers. Gen Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, the country's military chief of staff, was among those killed when the private jet suffered a technical malfunction and crashed near Ankara's Esenboga Airport. According to Libyan and Turkish officials, the Dassault Falcon 50 business jet took off from Ankara on Tuesday evening, heading back to Libya after a high-level defence visit. However, the plane lost contact with air traffic controllers about 40 minutes later, after issuing an emergency landing signal. The wreckage was later found near the village of Kesikkavak in Haymana district, about 70 kilometres south of the capital. An investigation has been launched, with Turkish authorities and a team from Libya set to participate in the inquiry. The Libyan delegation had been in Ankara for talks aimed at deepening military cooperation. During the visit, al-Haddad met Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler and senior military officials. The crash is a significant loss for Libya, which has struggled to unify its fractured armed forces since the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime ruler Moammar Gaddafi. Al-Haddad, appointed chief of staff in 2020, played a key role in United Nations-backed efforts to reunify the country's armed forces. He was the top military commander in western Libya and had met with Turkish officials to discuss military cooperation. The incident has sparked an outpouring of condolences from around the world, with Libyan leaders describing it as a 'tragic accident' and a 'great loss' for the country.