Turkiye holds military ceremony for Libyan army chief killed in crash

Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler and subject main Selcuk Bayraktaroglu be ceremonial astatine an airbase adjacent Ankara.

Turkiye has held a subject ceremonial to honour a radical of Libyan officials, including subject main Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, who were killed successful a level crash implicit Turkish territory earlier this week.

The ceremony, held connected Sunday astatine Murted airbase extracurricular the capital, Ankara, honoured al-Haddad and 4 different subject officers who were successful Turkiye for high-level defence talks earlier the clang connected Tuesday.

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Turkiye’s subject main Selcuk Bayraktaroglu and Defence Minister Yasar Guler were successful attendance astatine the ceremony. The remains of the Libyan officials volition beryllium transported backmost home, wherever an authoritative ceremonial volition beryllium held.

The craft carrying the Libyan delegation went down connected Tuesday soon aft taking off from Ankara, pursuing what Libyan officials said was a method malfunction. All those connected board, including 3 unit members, were killed.

Al-Haddad, Libya’s highest-ranking subject officer, was a cardinal fig successful the United Nations-brokered efforts to unify the country’s divided equipped forces. His decease drew condolences adjacent from the rival factions.

“Haddad was this strong, charismatic person who ever [sought] bid successful the country,” said Al Jazeera’s Malik Traina, reporting from al-Haddad’s hometown of Misrata, Libya. “He was a antheral of peace, well-respected crossed the country, adjacent among radical helium fought against.”

Khalifa Haftar, caput of eastbound Libya’s rival medication – whose forces al-Haddad opposed during a 2019 beforehand connected occidental Libya – was among those who extended sympathies.

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

‘Big shoes to fill’

Following the ceremonial successful Turkiye, 5 coffins draped successful Libyan nationalist flags were loaded onto a level for repatriation to Libya. Turkiye’s subject main Bayraktaroglu was besides connected the plane, state-run quality bureau TRT reported.

Libya plunged into chaos aft the country’s 2011 uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi. The state is split, with rival administrations successful the eastbound and the west, backed by an array of rogue militias and antithetic overseas governments.

Turkiye has been the main backer of Libya’s authorities successful the west, but has precocious taken steps to amended ties with the eastern-based medication arsenic well.

Traina said it volition beryllium “extremely difficult” for Libya’s Western authorities “to find idiosyncratic arsenic respected” to regenerate al-Haddad, who had chaired a United Nations-backed truce committee. “They are highly large shoes to fill.”