MISRATA, Libya (AP) — Hundreds of people on Sunday mournedwestern Libya's military chiefand four others who were killed in a plane crash in Turkey.
The coffins of Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad and two others were brought into a stadium in the coastal city of Misrata, their hometown, for a funeral ceremony that included Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah and other military and political leaders. The bodies will be taken by their families for a private burial elsewhere.
Ceremonies were also held in Ankara and Tripoli on Saturday.
A private jet with al-Haddad and four other military officers and three crew memberscrashed on Tuesday after taking off from Ankara, Turkey's capital. Libyan officials said the cause was a technical malfunction on the plane but the investigation is still ongoing in coordination with Turkey.
Libyaplunged into chaos after the country's 2011 uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The country split, with rival administrations in the east and west, eachbacked by armed groupsand foreign governments. The country is governed by Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah's government in Tripoli and the administration of Prime Minister Ossama Hammad in the east.
Turkey has been the main backer ofLibya's government in the west, but has recently taken steps to improve ties with the eastern-based government.
