Libya’s army chief, Lt. Gen. Mohamed Al-Haddad, was killed in a plane crash as he returned to Tripoli from an official visit to Turkey, the country’s prime minister said on Tuesday.Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah confirmed that Al-Haddad died along with four others in a “tragic accident” on the flight home from Ankara. The crash occurred after the plane lost contact shortly after takeoff from the Turkish capital.“It is with great sadness and sadness that we received the news of the death of Lt. Gen. Al-Haddad and his companions,” al-Dbeibah said in a statement. He expressed condolences to the victims’ families and said the loss was a tragedy for Libya and its military establishment, CNN reported. The prime minister identified the other victims as Major General Al-Fitouri Ghreibel, chief of staff of the ground forces; Brigadier General Mahmoud Al-Qatioui, Director of the Military Manufacturing Authority; Mohamed Al-Asawi Diab, advisor to the army chief and media office photographer Mohamed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub.Turkish authorities said they lost contact with the Falcon 50 corporate jet shortly after it left Ankara-Esenboga airport at around 8:10 p.m. (local time). Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said contact was lost at 8:52 p.m. after the plane sent an emergency landing notification near the Haymana district, about 50 miles southwest of Ankara.Turkish broadcaster CNNTurk reported that the plane had declared an electrical emergency and asked to return to the airport before communications were lost. The plane reportedly had a crew of three, all French nationals.Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said a full investigation into the crash had been launched and authorities would “investigate all aspects of the incident with great care.”Earlier on Tuesday, the Turkish Armed Forces said that Lt. Gen. Al-Haddad was officially welcomed to Ankara as an official guest in a military ceremony. Later, as part of his official visit, he held talks with the Turkish Chief of General Staff, General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu.
