Ankara prosecutor’s office opens investigation into incident south of Turkish capital
MADRID, 23 (EUROPA PRESSE)
The Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity of Libya, Abdul Hamid Dbeibé, reported that the Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces, Mohamed Ali Ahmed al Hadad, died on Tuesday in a plane crash while returning, with four others, from an official trip to Turkey.
Dbeibé explained that among the victims also included the Chief of General Staff of the Land Forces, Al Fituri Ghraibil; the director of the Military Manufacturing Authority, Mahmud al Qatawi; the advisor to the head of the army, Mohamed al Asawi Diab; and press office photographer Mohamed Omar Ahmed Mahyub.
“This accident is a great loss for the nation, the military institution and all Libyans. We have lost men who served their country with sincerity and dedication, and who were exemplary in their discipline, their responsibility and their national commitment,” we can read in a press release published on their profile on the social network Facebook.
The Libyan Prime Minister, who received with “deep regret the news of the death” of Al Hadad, conveyed his “deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and to his colleagues in the armed forces.”
A few minutes earlier, the Turkish government had reported losing contact with a plane that had taken off from the Turkish capital, Ankara, to the Libyan capital, Tripoli, and on board were five people, including the head of the Libyan army.
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the plane took off at 8:10 p.m. (local time) and then made an emergency landing request near the town of Haymana, southwest of Ankara. “However, contact could not be reestablished,” he said, adding that the last communication took place at 8:52 p.m. (local time).
Subsequently, Yerlikaya said security forces found the wreckage of the plane two kilometers south of the town of Kesikkavak, near where contact was lost.
In this context, Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc announced that the Ankara prosecutor’s office had opened an investigation into the plane crash. For this, four prosecutors were designated, coordinated by a deputy chief prosecutor.
“The investigation is being carried out exhaustively and meticulously in all its aspects,” declared the head of the ministerial portfolio through a message published on his profile on the social network X.
On the other hand, Libyan General Khalifa Haftar, aligned with the authorities established in eastern Libya, expressed his condolences: “The armed forces lost one of their men who carried out his military duty with maximum dedication and responsibility, assuming the trust placed in him during critical periods of the nation’s history and prioritizing national values above all other interests”, according to the Libyan news agency LANA.
Libya is divided into two administrations after the eastern-based House of Representatives ended the mandate of Unity Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibe over the postponement of the December 2021 presidential elections, although the Unity Prime Minister rejected the decision and opted to remain in office until the elections are held.
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