Libyan Military Chief and Seven Others Killed in Turkish Plane Crash

A private jet carrying Libya's Chief of General Staff, Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, along with four other military officials and three crew members, crashed near Ankara, Turkey, on December 23, 2025, killing all eight individuals on board. The aircraft, a Dassault Falcon 50, had departed from Ankara's Esenboğa Airport at 8:10 p.m. local time, bound for Tripoli. Approximately 40 minutes into the flight, the crew reported an electrical malfunction and requested an emergency landing. The plane was redirected back to Esenboğa Airport but disappeared from radar during its descent.

The wreckage was located near the village of Kesikkavak in the Haymana district, about 70 kilometers south of Ankara. Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya stated that the crash site spanned over three square kilometers, complicating recovery efforts.

The Libyan delegation had been in Ankara for defense talks aimed at enhancing military cooperation between Libya and Turkey. Gen. al-Haddad played a pivotal role in efforts to unify Libya's fragmented military forces.

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah confirmed the deaths, describing the incident as a "tragic accident" and a "great loss" for Libya. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed his condolences and announced that an investigation into the crash had been initiated.

The other Libyan officials who perished were Gen. Al-Fitouri Ghraibil, head of Libya's ground forces; Brig. Gen. Mahmoud Al-Qatawi, director of the Military Manufacturing Authority; Mohammed Al-Asawi Diab, adviser to the chief of staff; and Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, a military photographer. The identities of the three crew members have not been released.

Libya declared a three-day period of national mourning, with flags flown at half-staff across all state institutions. Turkish authorities have recovered the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, which will be analyzed to determine the cause of the crash.