SAEDNEWS: Libya declared three days of national mourning on Tuesday after its army chief of staff, Mohammed al-Haddad, and four senior military officials were killed in a plane crash near the Turkish capital Ankara.
Libya’s Tripoli-based Government of National Unity confirmed the deaths in a statement issued Tuesday evening.
The statement said the Falcon 50 jet carrying Haddad was en route to Tripoli when it crashed south of Haymana, near Ankara. Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya earlier reported that the wreckage of the Tripoli-bound aircraft had been found in the same area.
Libya’s Government of National Unity extended condolences to the families of the victims and their colleagues in the Libyan Armed Forces.
“The Government of National Unity extends its sincerest condolences and deepest sympathy to the families of the deceased and to their colleagues in the armed forces, praying that Almighty God bestows His vast mercy upon them, grants them eternal rest in His spacious gardens, and blesses their families and loved ones with patience and solace,” the statement said.
The government added that all state institutions would fly flags at half-mast during the mourning period, and official ceremonies and celebrations would be suspended.
Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh instructed the defense ministry to send an official delegation to Ankara to coordinate with Turkish authorities and review the circumstances of the crash, the statement noted.
The government described the deaths as “a tragic loss to the nation, the military establishment, and all the people.”
“We have lost men who served their country with sincerity and dedication and were an example of discipline, responsibility, and national commitment,” it said.
Separately, Mohamed Menfi, head of Libya’s Presidency Council, also mourned Haddad and the four senior military officials.
The crash coincides with Libya’s planned Independence Day celebrations on Dec. 24-25, marking 74 years since the country’s liberation from Italian occupation. Those commemorations will now be observed under national mourning.
