The United Arab Emirates has formally expressed profound condolences and solidarity with the Libyan government following a devastating aviation tragedy that claimed the life of the nation’s top military commander. Lieutenant General Mohammed Al-Haddad, Chief of Staff of the Libyan Army, perished alongside seven other senior military officials when their private jet crashed near Ankara’s airport on Tuesday evening.
In an official statement released by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), the UAE conveyed its heartfelt sympathies to the families of all victims, the Libyan government, and the nation’s citizens, characterizing the incident as a profound national tragedy.
According to Turkish aviation authorities, the ill-fated Dassault Falcon 50 executive jet had departed from Ankara Esenboga Airport at 1717 GMT bound for Tripoli. Approximately sixteen minutes into the flight, at 1733 GMT, the aircraft reported a critical electrical system failure and urgently requested clearance for an emergency landing. Contact with the aircraft was lost shortly after this transmission.
Burhanettin Duran, head of Turkey’s communications directorate, confirmed these technical details surrounding the accident. Turkish Interior Ministry officials subsequently reported that search and recovery teams successfully located the aircraft’s black box flight recorder early Wednesday morning, which may provide crucial evidence for determining the exact cause of the catastrophic failure. The crash represents a significant blow to Libya’s military leadership structure amid the country’s ongoing political stabilization efforts.