National Mourning: A Strategic Blow to Libyan Unification Efforts
The thing is, Libya’s military leadership just suffered its most devastating non-combat loss in a decade. Basically, General Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, the country’s Chief of Staff, was killed Tuesday night when his private Dassault Falcon 50 crashed shortly after taking off from Ankara.
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Actually, the delegation was heading back to Tripoli after high-level defense talks when the plane vanished from radar.
As a result, Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah has confirmed the death of all eight people on board, calling it a “tragic accident” and a “great loss” for the nation.
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And here’s the kicker. The pilots knew something was wrong almost immediately.
Specifically, Turkish officials confirmed the crew reported an electrical fault and requested an emergency landing just 40 minutes into the flight.
Instead of making it back to Esenboğa Airport, the jet disappeared near the village of Kesikkavak in the Haymana district.In fact, security footage from the area showed the night sky briefly lighting up with a massive explosion.7
Consequently, Turkish gendarmerie units found the wreckage scattered across a three-kilometer area, leaving no hope for survivors (those too).
[Table: Casualties of the Ankara Private Jet Crash]
| Name | Role |
| Gen Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad | Chief of Staff, Libyan Army |
| Gen Al-Fitouri Ghraibil | Head of Libya’s Ground Forces |
| Brig Gen Mahmoud al-Qatawi | Director, Military Manufacturing Authority |
| Mohammed al-Asawi Diab | Senior Adviser to the Chief of Staff |
| Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub | Military Photographer |
| Three Crew Members | Identities currently withheld |
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In fact, al-Haddad wasn’t just another general; he was the primary architect of the UN-backed plan to reunify Libya’s fractured military.9 The thing is, he had been in Turkey to finalize a two-year extension of the Turkish military mandate in Libya.
Actually, even his rivals in the east, including Khalifa Hifter, have issued statements of condolence, recognizing the gravity of the loss. As a result, the vacuum left by the death of both the Chief of Staff and the Head of Ground Forces creates a massive uncertainty for the 2026 unification roadmap.
The thing is, the investigation is moving at lightning speed. Basically, four Turkish prosecutors have been assigned to the case, and a 22-person delegation from Libya arrived in Ankara today to help.
Instead of a tidy wrap-up, the focus is now on whether the “electrical fault” was a maintenance failure or something more. And then Y followed. With the black boxes already found and sent for evaluation, we should have a clearer picture of the final minutes within the week. Consequently, Tripoli remains on high alert as the bodies are prepared for transport back home….
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