Khaberni - The Government of National Unity in Libya announced official mourning across the entire country for three days, following the plane crash that killed the Libyan Army Chief of Staff, Major General Mohamed Ali Al-Haddad, and four of his companions shortly after take-off from Ankara Airport on Tuesday evening. Meanwhile, the Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunç stated that "the Ankara prosecutor's office has initiated an investigation into the crash of the Libyan plane."
Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dbeibeh confirmed in a statement that he received news of the death of the Libyan Army's Chief of Staff and his advisor, Mohamed Asaawi Diab, and the Chief of Staff of the Land Forces, Major General Faitouri Gribil, along with the Director of the Military Manufacturing Device, Brigadier Mahmoud Al-Qatiousi, and the photographer at the general staff media office, Mohamed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, while they were returning from Ankara.
Dbeibeh said, "We declare official mourning across the entire country for 3 days, during which flags will be flown at half-mast at all state institutions, and celebratory and formal events will be cancelled, in mourning for the souls of the Chief of Staff of the Libyan Army, Major General Mohamed Al-Haddad, and his companions, who died following a tragic accident while returning from an official mission from Ankara, Republic of Turkey."
Dbeibeh directed the Ministry of Defense to send an official delegation to Ankara to clarify the circumstances of the incident, follow related procedures, and coordinate directly with the relevant Turkish authorities, ensuring the completion of investigations and the necessary actions according to established frameworks.
In turn, the Libyan State Minister for Communication and Political Affairs Walid Al-Lafi told Al Jazeera that Turkish authorities informed them that they found the wreckage of the plane carrying the Chief of Staff and the Director of Military Manufacturing along with all the bodies.
Al-Lafi added that all estimations suggest that a technical malfunction was the cause of the plane's crash, noting that the Chief of Staff was on an official mission in Ankara at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart, confirming that the unity government formed a crisis cell through the Ministry of Defense, adhering to military protocols in this incident.
Turkish Investigation
Meanwhile, Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunç announced that the public prosecutor in the Turkish capital, Ankara, opened an urgent investigation into the crash of the plane carrying the Libyan Chief of General Staff Mohamed Ali Al-Haddad and four of his companions.
Tunç added in a post on the Turkish platform "En Social," that four public prosecutors under the supervision of the Deputy Chief Prosecutor have been tasked with investigating the plane crash.
The Turkish minister emphasized that the investigations are conducted with the utmost precision and from all angles.
Earlier on Tuesday, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced that the wreckage of the plane, which was carrying the Libyan Chief of General Staff and four other people, had been reached.
Yerlikaya explained in a post on the Turkish platform "En Social" that gendarmes managed to reach the plane's wreckage located 2 kilometers from the village of "Kisec Kavak" in the Haymana district near Ankara, after it crashed following its departure on Tuesday evening from "Esenboga" airport in Ankara to the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
The Turkish minister stated, through the X platform, that the plane took off at 17:10 GMT before the wireless communication with it was lost at 17:52 GMT, noting that it was en route from Ankara to Tripoli and requested an emergency landing in the Ankara area, but communication was lost thereafter.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Defense Industries site stated that the Libyan plane issued an emergency call after taking off from Ankara airport due to an electrical error, noting that it decided to make an emergency landing because of the malfunction before it disappeared from radar.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense had earlier this week announced the visit of the Libyan Chief of Staff to Ankara, noting that he met with his Turkish counterpart and several military leaders.
