Jet with Libya’s top general onboard loses contact near Ankara


A Falcon 50 business jet carrying five people, including Libya’s Chief of General Staff Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, lost all radio contact late Tuesday after issuing an emergency landing alert near the Haymana district south of Ankara, officials said.

The aircraft, tail number 9H-DFJ, departed Ankara Esenboğa Airport at 8:10 p.m. for Tripoli but stopped communicating with air traffic control at 8:52 p.m., according to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.

He said the jet had transmitted an emergency landing notification in the Haymana area before all contact ceased.

Yerlikaya also confirmed that an investigation is underway and that search efforts were being coordinated after reports of a loud noise heard near Haymana around the time of the incident.

The jet was carrying five passengers, including senior Libyan military chief al-Haddad, when the signal was lost. Flights were temporarily diverted from Ankara Airport as emergency protocols were activated.

Haddad was in Ankara and held a meeting with Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler.

The Turkish Parliament approved a motion on Monday, extending the troop mandate in Libya for another two years.

Officials said search and rescue teams were dispatched to the region, and further details will be shared as the investigation progresses.

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