AdvertisementAviation accidentsWorldAfricaBreaking | Libya army chief and 4 others killed in Turkey plane crash
The wreckage of the business jet has been found, after it sent an emergency signal then lost radio contact following take-off from Ankara
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A private jet carrying Libya’s military chief and four other people crashed after take-off from Turkey’s capital, Ankara, on Tuesday, killing everyone on board.
The Libyan military chief was in Ankara for high-level defence talks aimed at boosting military cooperation between the two countries and addressing regional issues, Turkish officials said.
Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah confirmed the death of General Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad and the others, saying in a statement on social media that the “tragic accident” took place as the Libyan delegation was “returning from an official trip to Ankara”.
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He called it a “great loss” for Libya. Officials in Libya said contact with the plane was lost about half an hour into the flight because of a technical malfunction.
Al-Hadad was the top military commander in western Libya. He played a crucial role in the UN-brokered ongoing efforts to unify Libya’s military, which has split much like Libya’s institutions.
Turkey did not immediately confirm the deaths, only that wreckage of the Falcon 50 type business jet had been found.
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