Libyan army chief killed in plane crash: What we know so far

Libya’s apical subject commander, Lieutenant General Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, has been killed successful a level crash successful Turkiye portion returning from an authoritative sojourn to Ankara.

Turkish officials said the backstage aircraft, which was heading backmost to Tripoli connected Tuesday, requested an exigency landing owed to an electrical nonaccomplishment conscionable minutes aft takeoff, but past mislaid contact.

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The crash, which besides killed 4 elder Libyan subject officials and 3 unit members, has sent shockwaves crossed Libya, wherever General al-Haddad was seen arsenic a unifying fig amid heavy governmental divisions. The Libyan authorities has announced 3 days of nationalist mourning.

Here is what we cognize truthful far:

Who was Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad?

General al-Haddad was Libya’s main of the General Staff, the highest-ranking subject serviceman successful the country’s equipped forces.

General al-Haddad worked wrong the United Nations-recognised Government of National Unity (GNU) successful Tripoli to bring unneurotic competing equipped factions.

Al Jazeera’s Malik Traina said radical successful Libya were mourning al-Haddad, whom helium said was a cardinal fig successful efforts to unify the country’s fractured military. “He truly was idiosyncratic who tried to physique up the subject institutions, particularly successful occidental Libya, a spot that is divided with almighty equipped groups and militias controlling immense areas of land,” Traina, reporting from Tripoli, said.

“You person almighty equipped groups, militias controlling antithetic parts of land. They clasp a immense power connected the government. He refused to fto these militias clasp sway connected the government,” Traina added, and was seen arsenic “someone that radical could rally down and enactment to effort to bring immoderate benignant of unity to Libya.”

General al-Haddad had served successful that station since 2020 and was seen arsenic a cardinal fig successful efforts to unify Libya’s divided subject structures, a important constituent of broader attempts to stabilise the country, which descended into chaos pursuing the toppling of its semipermanent person Muammar Gaddafi successful 2011.

Al Jazeera’s Traina said General al-Haddad was 1 of the archetypal subject officials who joined the rebel forces successful the gyration that toppled Gaddafi.

Libya is presently divided betwixt the internationally recognised authorities based successful Tripoli and the rival medication successful the eastbound led by subject commandant Khalifa Haftar.

“He was a precise charismatic and beardown leader. General Mohammed was idiosyncratic who was respected by each sides,” Al Jazeera’s Traina said. “He was idiosyncratic who believed successful the regularisation of law, ever talked astir values of democracy, and wanted to modulation Libya into civilian rule.”

Al-Haddad’s decease is being mourned successful the eastbound portion of Libya governed by a rival administration, including Haftar, who expressed sorrow and offered his condolences.

During his Turkiye trip, al-Haddad held talks successful Ankara with Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler, and his Turkish subject counterpart, Selcuk Bayraktaroglu. Ankara has cultivated adjacent subject and economical ties with the Tripoli-based administration, but recently, Ankara has moved to fortify relations with the eastbound medication led by Haftar.

Turkey’s Chief of General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, right, poses for a photograph with Libyan Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad during their gathering successful Ankara, Turkiye [Turkish Defence Ministry via AP Photo]

What bash we cognize astir the level crash?

Burhanettin Duran, Turkiye’s caput of communications, said the Dassault Falcon 50 pitchy departed Ankara Esenboga Airport astatine 17:17 GMT connected Tuesday, bound for Tripoli.

At 17:33 GMT, it notified aerial postulation power of an electrical malfunction and declared an emergency, according to his statement. The pitchy was 37 years old, according to formation tracking tract Flightradar24.

Controllers directed the craft backmost towards Esenboga and initiated exigency protocols, but it vanished from radar astatine 17:36 GMT portion descending to land, and connection was lost, Duran said.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya had earlier reported that the level requested an exigency landing portion flying implicit Ankara’s Haymana district.

He added that the wreckage was aboriginal located adjacent Kesikkavak colony successful the area. Search and rescue teams reached the clang tract aft operations were launched by the Interior Ministry.

Investigations into the origin are continuing with the information of each applicable agencies, Duran said. Turkiye has appointed 4 prosecutors to pb the probe, and Yerlikaya noted that 408 unit were deployed for the hunt and betterment effort.

A radical of subject officials from Libya is carrying retired inspections astatine the clang site, according to Turkish authorities quality bureau Anadolu.

(Al Jazeera)

Were different radical killed successful the crash?

Yes. All radical connected committee died successful the crash. In summation to al-Haddad, 7 others died successful the crash, including 4 elder Libyan subject officials and 3 unit members.

Among the Libyan officials killed were:

• General al-Fitouri Ghraibil, caput of Libya’s crushed forces.
• Brigadier General Mahmoud al-Qatawi, manager of the Military Manufacturing Authority.
• Muhammad al-Asawi Diab, elder subject adviser.
• Muhammad Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, a subject photographer.

What are the reactions to al-Haddad’s death?

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah described the incidental arsenic a “tragic loss”.

“This large calamity is simply a large nonaccomplishment for the nation, the subject establishment, and each the people,” helium said. “We person mislaid men who served their state with sincerity and dedication and were an illustration of discipline, responsibility, and nationalist commitment.”

In a connection from the eastbound Libyan equipped forces, commandant Haftar expressed “deep sorrow implicit this tragic loss” and offered condolences to General al-Haddad’s family, tribe, and city, arsenic good arsenic “to each the Libyan people”.

What’s next?

In a statement, Libya’s Government of National Unity announced a three-day mourning period, during which flags volition beryllium flown astatine half-staff crossed each authorities institutions, and each authoritative ceremonies and celebrations volition beryllium suspended.

Austria’s erstwhile defence attache to Libya, Wolfgang Pusztai, said the decease of al-Haddad was “very significant” and a large stroke for Dbeibah.

“Al-Haddad hails from Misrata, an important merchant metropolis astir 3 hours eastbound of Tripoli, conscionable similar Dbeibah, and the cardinal relation of al-Haddad was to guarantee the loyalty of the mighty militias of the metropolis of Misrata to the government,” Pusztai told Al Jazeera.

“Misrata is the astir important subject powerfulness successful occidental Libya, and this mightiness truly trigger immoderate problems for Dbeibah, if this loyalty is breached successful the future.”

Libya’s Presidential Council has appointed General Salah Eddine al-Namrush arsenic the acting main of unit for the Libyan service until General al-Haddad’s replacement is announced.

“It’s highly large shoes to fill. It is truly going beryllium precise hard for authorities to find idiosyncratic arsenic charismatic and beardown who tin unify the state similar Mohammed al-Haddad,” Al Jazeera’s Traina said.