Libya’s army chief of staff and other senior military officials died after their plane crashed in Turkey following a visit to Ankara.
TRIPOLI: Libya’s prime minister has announced the death of the country’s army chief of staff in an airplane accident in Turkey.
Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah said the Libyan army’s chief of general staff, Mohammed al-Haddad, was killed on Tuesday.
The officials had been visiting the Turkish capital, Ankara, before the crash.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed the country’s gendarmerie located the wreckage of the plane.
The aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from Ankara.
Haddad had served as the army’s chief of general staff since his appointment in August 2020.
He was appointed by the then-prime minister, Fayez al-Sarraj.
Dbeibah stated that other senior military officials and a photographer were also on board the flight.
“We have lost men who served their country with loyalty and dedication,” Dbeibah said.
He described their deaths as a “tragic loss” for the nation.
