Libya: Haftar mourns Dbeibah government army chief after plane crash in Turkey

Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, commander-in-chief of the Libyan National Army, has mourned the death of the chief of staff of the army under the Dbeibah government, Lieutenant General Mohammed Al-Haddad, and those travelling with him.

Libya is divided between two main camps. In the west, the UN-backed Government of National Unity in Tripoli, led by Abdulhamid Dbeibah, is internationally recognised. In the east and south, Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army controls territory but is not widely recognised. The rivalry has fuelled ongoing political and military instability.

In a statement published by the General Command on its official Facebook page, Haftar expressed deep sorrow over the death of Lieutenant General Al-Haddad and his companions following a plane crash in Turkey.

Haftar offered his condolences to the family of the deceased, his tribe, his city, and to the Libyan people as a whole. He also extended condolences to officers and members of the armed forces.

Haftar further expressed his condolences to the Joint Military Commission (5+5) over the death of commission member and commander of the ground forces at the General Staff in Tripoli, Lieutenant General Al-Fitouri Ghribil, who was also killed in the crash. He conveyed his sympathy to Ghribil’s family, relatives, and loved ones.

The Joint Military Commission (5+5) consists of five representatives from the eastern Libyan National Army (LNA) and five from the western forces aligned with the Government of National Unity (GNU).

Al-Haddad and those accompanying him were killed when their plane crashed while returning from an official visit to the Turkish capital, Ankara. The victims included Lieutenant General Al-Fitouri Ghribil, Director of the Military Manufacturing Authority Brigadier Mahmoud Al-Qattiwi, adviser to the chief of staff Mohammed Al-Assawi Diab, and Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, a photographer with the media office of the General Staff.

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