Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced an important development in the plane crash that killed the Chief of Staff of the Libyan Army, Lieutenant General Mohammed Al-Haddad, and his companions, confirming that the search and rescue teams had successfully located the black box and voice recorder of the ill-fated plane.
The plane crashed Tuesday evening near the capital, Ankara, killing all eight people on board. During his inspection of the crash site, located about 50 kilometers from the capital, the minister explained that authorities immediately began examining the recovered equipment, noting that the wreckage was scattered over an area of approximately three square kilometers.
Details of the search and investigation operations
The area of the accident witnessed a large mobilization, as the Turkish authorities mobilized 408 people from the rescue teams, gendarmerie, police and medical services, supported by 103 land vehicles and 7 aircraft, in addition to drones equipped with thermal cameras to transmit live images of the site, which was covered by thick fog and heavy rain, which increased the difficulty of the mission.
In a related development, Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu confirmed that the cockpit voice recorder and flight data will be analyzed in a neutral country after the initial examination, to ensure complete transparency in determining the causes of the accident. He promised to share the results with the world. Preliminary information indicates that the Falcon-50 aircraft reported an electrical malfunction 15 minutes after takeoff and attempted to return to the gate before contact was lost.
Dimensions of the incident and Turkish-Libyan relations
This incident is particularly significant given the depth of the strategic relationship between Turkey and Libya. Since the signing of the security and maritime memoranda of understanding in late 2019, Ankara has become a key ally of the Government of National Accord in Tripoli, providing crucial military and logistical support that has shifted the balance of power on the ground since January 2020.
Lieutenant General Mohammed al-Haddad was a pivotal figure in the Libyan military establishment in western Libya. He played a prominent role in efforts to restructure the army and attempts to unify the military institution through the Joint Military Commission (5+5) meetings. His passing represents a significant loss to the military and political landscape in Libya, at a time when the country is going through a sensitive period that requires security and stability.
Presidential condolences and international solidarity
On the diplomatic front, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was quick to offer his heartfelt condolences in a phone call with Libyan Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dbeibah. This call reflects the high level of coordination between the two countries, as a Libyan delegation comprising officials and family members of the victims arrived in Ankara to oversee the procedures for repatriating the bodies and to learn the details of the investigation.
The choice of a “neutral country” to analyze the black box reflects the desire of the parties involved to remove any political suspicions from the incident, especially in light of the complex regional situation, and to emphasize that the incident resulted from a purely technical malfunction, pending the final results of the investigations.
