The Libyan army’s chief of staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, has died in a plane crash near the Turkish capital, Ankara, shortly after the private jet he was travelling in took off from an airport there.
The other victims were four high-ranking Libyan military officials as well as three crew members.
Turkish officials told Al Jazeera that initial investigations have ruled out sabotage and instead point to a technical failure as the cause of the crash.
Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah confirmed al-Haddad’s death in a statement on Facebook, saying the “tragic accident” took place as he and his delegation were returning home.
“This great tragedy is a great loss for the nation, the military establishment, and all the people,” he said. “We have lost men who served their country with sincerity and dedication and were an example of discipline, responsibility, and national commitment.”
Al-Haddad was the top military commander in western Libya and played a crucial role in the ongoing United Nations-brokered efforts to unify the country, which has been divided since 2014 following the NATO-backed revolt that toppled and killed longtime ruler, Muammar Gaddafi.
The four other officers who died in the crash were General Al-Fitouri Gharibil, the head of Libya’s ground forces; Brigadier General Mahmoud Al-Qatawi, who led the Military Manufacturing Authority; Muhammad Al-Asawi Diab, an adviser to the chief of staff; and Muhammad Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, a military photographer with the chief of staff’s office.
The Libyan delegation was in Ankara for high-level defence talks aimed at boosting military cooperation between the two countries, according to Turkish officials.
Dbeibah’s UN-recognised Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli announced official mourning across the country for three days. The GNU statement said that all state institutions would fly flags at half-mast, while official ceremonies and celebrations would be suspended.
