LIBYA – Libya’s Chief of General Staff Gen. Mohamed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad is among 5 passengers onboard the Dassault Falcon 50 jet that crashed south of Ankara, shortly after takeoff according to the Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya on Tuesday.

The wreckage of the jet which took off from Ankara’s Esenboga Airport en route to Tripoli, was found by gendarmerie teams about 2 kilometers south of Kesikkavak village in the Haymana district, Yerlikaya said.

The Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said that prosecutors have launched an investigation into the crash.

Earlier, Yerlikaya announced that contact was lost with the jet, bearing tail number 9H-DFJ, at around 8.52 p.m. local time (1752 GMT), shortly after it departed at 8.10 p.m. (1710 GMT).

He said the aircraft had transmitted an emergency landing notification near Haymana but that no further communication could be established afterward.

Libya Confirms the Deaths

Libya’s Tripoli-based government confirmed Tuesday evening the death of army chief Mohammed al-Haddad and four aides in a plane crash near Ankara.

In a statement, the government, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, called the death “a tragic loss to the nation, the military establishment, and all the people.”

“We have lost men who served their country with sincerity and dedication and were an example of discipline, responsibility, and national commitment,” it added.

Libyan Presidency Council Mourns the Deaths

The head of Libya’s Presidency Council, Mohamed Menfi, mourned on Tuesday evening Army Chief of Staff Mohammed al-Haddad and four senior military officials, who were killed in a plane crash near the Turkish capital Ankara.

In a statement posted on the US social media company X’s platform, Menfi called the deaths “a grave loss for the Libyan military establishment and for the entire nation.”

“Libya has lost national military leaders who dedicated their lives to serving the country, who bore their responsibilities with utmost integrity in delicate circumstances, and who performed their duty with a high spirit of discipline, commitment and loyalty, placing the interest, security and stability of the nation above all considerations.”

He extended his deepest condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims and members of the armed forces.

3 Days of National Mourning Declared

Libya declared three days of national mourning Tuesday following the deaths of Army Chief of Staff Mohammed al-Haddad and four senior military officials.

In a statement, Libya’s Government of National Unity extended its condolences to the families of the victims and to their colleagues in the Libyan Armed Forces.

The statement said that during the three-day mourning period, all state institutions will fly flags at half-mast, and official ceremonies and celebrations would be suspended.

“The Government of National Unity extends its sincerest condolences and deepest sympathy to the families of the deceased and to their colleagues in the armed forces, praying that Almighty God bestows His vast mercy upon them, grants them eternal rest in His spacious gardens, and blesses their families and loved ones with patience and solace,” the statement said.

Libya’s Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh has instructed the Defense Ministry to send an official delegation to Ankara to coordinate directly with Turkish authorities and review the circumstances of the crash, the statement added.

The tragedy coincides with Libya’s planned Independence Day celebrations on Dec. 24-25, marking 74 years since the country’s liberation from Italian occupation, which will now be observed under national mourning.