According to Erlikay, the plane took off from Ankara at 20:10, and contact was lost at 20:52 while it was heading towards Tripoli. The wreckage of the aircraft was found by the gendarmerie two kilometers south of the village of Kesikkavak in the Haymana district.
The minister also reported that a request for an emergency landing in the area was received before contact was lost with the plane. There were five passengers on board, including the chief of staff.
Abdel Hamid Dbeibah expressed his condolences over the death of Al-Haddad, calling this tragedy a great loss for the entire nation and the military department: “This happened after a serious incident during the return from an official visit to Ankara,” his statement said.
In addition to Al-Haddad, those on board included the commander of the Libyan ground forces, the director of military production, an advisor, and the chief of staff's photographer.
The causes of the crash have not yet been established. The Prime Minister instructed the Minister of Defense to send an official delegation to Ankara to oversee the investigation.
Libya's Minister for Political Affairs Walid El-Lafi told the Libya Alahrar channel that the plane was rented in Malta, but information about its owner and technical condition is lacking.
The Libyan government declared a three-day mourning period across the country.
Earlier, the Turkish Ministry of Defense reported on Al-Haddad's visit, during which he met with Turkish military leaders, including Defense Minister Yasar Guler and Chief of Staff Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, as reported by Reuters.
The crash occurred the day after the Turkish parliament approved the extension of the mandate for the deployment of Turkish troops in Libya at the request of the UN-recognized government.
The country is divided into eastern and western parts, and Turkey continues to support the government in Tripoli, while contacts with eastern Libya, dominated by Commander Khalifa Haftar of the Libyan National Army, have intensified.
Since 2020, Turkey has sent troops to train Libyan forces and signed a maritime demarcation agreement that has sparked disputes with Egypt and Greece. Additionally, in 2022, a preliminary agreement on energy resource exploration was signed between Ankara and Tripoli, which is opposed by the same countries.
According to TASS, Haftar expressed condolences over the loss of the chief of staff.
