Hundreds of people gathered to mourn the deaths of top military commanders who were killed in a plane crash near Ankara. Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah and other military and political leaders were among those paying their respects as the bodies of General Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad and two others were brought into the stadium.
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| Photo: Africa |
Ceremonies were also held in Ankara and Tripoli on Saturday. The men died along with another military officer and three crew members when their private jet crashed shortly after takeoff, south of the Turkish capital, on Tuesday. Libyan officials stated that the crash was caused by a technical fault on the plane, though the investigation is still ongoing with Turkish authorities.
Al-Haddad was the highest-ranking military commander in western Libya and played a key role in United Nations-backed efforts to bring unity to Libya's military. Libya has been in chaos since the 2011 uprising that overthrew and killed longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi.
The country was split, with rival governments in the east and west, each supported by different armed groups and foreign powers. The country is currently led by Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah's government in Tripoli and the government of Prime Minister Ossama Hammad in the east. Turkey has been the main supporter of Libya's western government, but has recently made efforts to strengthen relations with the eastern administration.
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