ANKARA: A passenger jet carrying Libya’s Army Chief along with other senior military commander has crashed in central Turkey shortly after takeoff from Ankara, according to multiple reports.
The aircraft, flying from Ankara’s Esenboğa Airport to the Libyan capital, Tripoli, suffered an apparent technical fault approximately 30 minutes into its flight. Authorities state the pilots lost contact with air traffic control and attempted to return to Ankara for an emergency landing. The plane, however, crashed before it could reach the airport.
Libyan General Mohammed Ali al-Haddad, the Chief of the General Staff of the Libyan Army, is feared to have been on board. General al-Haddad was on an official visit to Turkey, where he met with the Turkish Defense Minister earlier on Tuesday.
In response to the incident, Turkish authorities temporarily closed the nation’s airspace. Search and rescue teams and security agencies have been placed on high alert and dispatched to the suspected crash site to locate wreckage and any survivors. The scale of casualties remains unknown as the operation continues.
An urgent investigation is underway to determine the precise cause of the crash. Aviation officials are working to confirm the details of the aircraft, its crew, and the full passenger manifest. The potential loss of General al-Haddad marks a significant and destabilizing event for Libya, where he is a key figure in the internationally recognized government, and underscores the close, yet complex, military partnership between Tripoli and Ankara.
Meanwhile Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir arrived in Libya on an official visit, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
He held meetings with Commander-in-Chief of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces, Field Marshal Khalifa Belqasim Haftar, and Deputy Chief of the Army, Lieutenant General Saddam Khalifa Haftar.
A smartly turned-out Libyan Armed Forces contingent presented a guard of honour on his arrival, ISPR reported.
During the meetings, both sides discussed regional security, matters of mutual interest, and ways to enhance bilateral defence and military cooperation.
They stressed cooperation in training, capacity building, and counterterrorism.
Field Marshal Munir reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening defence ties with Libya. Field Marshal Haftar praised the professionalism of the Pakistan Armed Forces and expressed interest in further expanding defence cooperation between the two countries.
