On Saturday, Libya held a military funeral for Libya’s Chief of General Staff of the Government of National Unity (GNU), Lieutenant General Mohammed Al-Haddad, and several senior military officials who died in a plane crash in Turkey.
The bodies of the victims of the plane crash arrived in the capital, Tripoli, on Saturday.
A government aircraft transported the remains from Turkey, where the crash occurred near Ankara earlier this week.
Prior to their transfer, an official farewell ceremony was held at a Turkish military base, attended by senior Turkish officials, including the Minister of Defense, the Chief of the Turkish General Staff, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, alongside members of the Libyan delegation involved in coordinating the investigation.
Libya’s Ministry of Defense announced that formal military funeral services would be held in Tripoli in accordance with established military traditions and protocols.
The ministry described the victims as dedicated leaders who played key roles in the Libyan military institution during a critical period for the country.
The crash resulted in the deaths of eight people, including five Libyan officials and three members of the flight crew. The Libyan victims were Lieutenant General Mohammed Al-Haddad, Chief of the General Staff; Lieutenant General Al-Fitouri Ghribel, Commander of the Ground Forces; Brigadier General Mahmoud Jumaa Al-Qattouei, Director of the Military Manufacturing Authority; Mohammed Al-Assawi, adviser to the Chief of General Staff; and Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, the official photographer accompanying the delegation.
Diplomatic sources confirmed that two of the crew members were French nationals, while media reports indicated that a Greek national was also among the victims.
The aircraft, a Falcon 50 private jet, crashed less than forty minutes after takeoff while returning to Libya following an official visit to Turkey focused on military cooperation.
Turkish authorities, in coordination with Libyan officials, have launched a full investigation into the cause of the crash. Preliminary information indicated that the aircraft reported technical difficulties shortly before contact was lost.
