The Tripoli based Libyan Chief of General Staff of the Libyan Army, Lieutenant General Mohamed Al-Haddad, and his accompanying delegation died in a plane crash near Ankara airport last night.
Accompanying Al-Haddad were Lieutenant General Al-Fitouri Ghraibil, Chief of Staff of the Ground Forces, Brigadier General Mahmoud Al-Gatawi, Director of the Military Industries Organisation, Mohamed Al-Asawi Diab, Advisor to the Chief of the General Staff, Mohamed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, Photographer at the General Staff Media Office. There are believed to have been three crew members who also lost their lives.
Al-Haddad’s plane was reported to have taken off from Ankara airport on their way home on board a Dassault Falcon 50 – (9H-DFS). The private jet is on hire from Malta-based Harmony Jets.
Libya’s Tripoli based government issued a Statement of Mourning and Condolences, declaring three days of official mourning throughout the country, during which flags will be flown at half-staff at all state institutions, and all official and celebratory events will be suspended.
The statement said Al-Haddad, and his companions, perished in a tragic accident while returning from an official mission to Ankara in Turkey.
It added that while expressing its profound sorrow for this tragic loss, the government affirms that the nation has lost a distinguished group of its men who served Libya with loyalty and dedication, setting an example of discipline, responsibility, and national commitment, and contributing their efforts to the service of the military institution and the Libyan state.
The statement revealed that the Prime Minister has directed the Ministry of Defence to dispatch an official delegation to Ankara to ascertain the circumstances of the incident, follow up on the relevant procedures, and coordinate directly with the competent Turkish authorities to ensure the completion of the investigations and the implementation of all necessary measures within the established frameworks.
