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Striking assessment from Cem Gürdeniz on the plane crash carrying the Libyan delegation

Retired Admiral Cem Gürdeniz, who provided an assessment regarding the private jet carrying the Libyan Chief of General Staff that crashed shortly after taking off from Ankara, stated that the accident cannot be considered independently of the Libya mandate process and the increasing geopolitical tension in the region, emphasizing that such events should be read not only with their technical but also their political and strategic dimensions.

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A private jet carrying a military delegation from Libya crashed after taking off from Ankara. Contact with the plane, which departed from Esenboğa Airport, was lost shortly after takeoff.

Following the loss of contact, search and rescue operations were initiated in the area. It was determined that the plane crashed in a rural area in the Haymana district of Ankara.

8 PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES

Libyan Chief of General Staff General Mohamed Ali Al-Haddad, the 4 people accompanying him, and the 3 crew members did not survive.

Retired Admiral Cem Gürdeniz stated that it is impossible to evaluate the crash of the chartered VIP plane carrying the Libyan Chief of General Staff within Turkish airspace independently of the increasing geopolitical tension in the region.

Gürdeniz drew attention to the fact that the accident coincided with the process of extending the Libya mandate in Parliament, the development of Turkey-Libya military relations, and Turkey's increasing military activity in Syria. Stating that events occurring during periods of rising geopolitical tension are not read as "ordinary accidents," Gürdeniz expressed that even if there is a possibility of a technical malfunction, such events gain different meanings in a strategic context.

Emphasizing that similar plane and aircraft accidents that occurred during periods of high tension in world political history continue to be remembered with question marks even years later, Gürdeniz stated that such cases should be handled not only as technical but also as political and strategic events.

Gürdeniz also pointed out that security risks during high-level visits conducted with countries with which Turkey maintains geopolitical and strategic relations should be evaluated according to the most pessimistic scenarios, noting the importance of ensuring security at the highest level in VIP transportation, airports, parking areas, and technical maintenance processes.


The assessment made by Cem Gürdeniz from his social media account is as follows:

“We cannot separate the crash of the chartered VIP plane carrying the Libyan Chief of General Staff within Turkish airspace as a result of an accident from the process of extending the Libya mandate in parliament, the development of Turkish-Libyan military relations, or the increase in Turkey's military activity in Syria.

As geopolitical tension increases, events are not read in an ordinary way; even accidents take on completely different meanings.

Even if there is truly a technical malfunction or an unfortunate error, such events are inevitably pulled in different directions, placed into a strategic context, and made a part of power struggles.

For this reason, in world political history, 'accidents' that occur immediately after critical state visits or periods of high tension are rarely seen as coincidences.

The crash of UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld's plane during the Congo crisis in 1961, the suspicious plane crash of Pakistani President General Zia-ul-Haq in 1988, the crash of Polish President Lech Kaczynski's plane in Smolensk, Russia, in 2010, almost along with the Polish Council of Ministers, and the helicopter crash following Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's visit to Azerbaijan in 2024 are the most well-known examples of this chain.

Each one occurred on the harsh geopolitical fault lines of the period in which it took place and has continued to be remembered with question marks despite the passing of years.

There are similar examples in Turkey's recent history as well. The crash of General Eşref Bitlis's plane while preparations for a major military operation against the PKK in Northern Iraq were ongoing, or the Muavenet destroyer being hit by missiles fired from the US aircraft carrier Saratoga during a NATO exercise in the Aegean Sea, are typical events showing how controversial the concept of an 'accident' becomes during periods of tension.

The result is clear. As tension rises, coincidences increase, explanations lose their persuasiveness, and files are never fully closed. History has shown time and again that such events should be read not only as technical but also as political and strategic cases.

The lesson that must be learned is this: Turkey should act by considering every possibility in this type of visit traffic in its relations with states in which it has made geopolitical or strategic investments, and if necessary, should implement invitation programs by sending its own VIP plane to these countries.

Considering that intelligence agencies and their extensions in Turkey will continue to use every area for both sabotage and false flag operations, it should be essential to ensure the security of airports, aircraft technical maintenance facilities, and parking areas at the highest level and according to the most pessimistic scenarios.”