Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah has confirmed news that the country’s army chief of staff, Mohammad Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, has died after his plane lost radio contact in Turkish airspace.
Dbeibah announced Haddad’s death on Tuesday evening, December 23, as reported by Reuters.
The Prime Minister officially issued a statement mourning the loss of the Chief of Army Staff and noted that he was also accompanied by other military officials on the flight.
Earlier, the Turkish Interior Minister, Ali Yerlikaya, confirmed that he had found the wreckage of the lost plane.
The plane was on its way to Tripoli from Ankara’s Esenboga Airport.
However, it lost radio contact 42 minutes after its departure.
In the last communication, aircraft reported an emergency landing request over the Haymana district.
The Libyan military delegation including Haddad had been in Turkey earlier in the day for official meetings with Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler and senior Turkish military leaders.
