Libya’s Chief of Staff and Six Others to Be Repatriated Following Fatal Ankara Plane Crash
The remains of Libya’s Chief of Staff General Mohamed Al-Haddad and six others who perished in a plane crash near the Turkish capital will be returned home on Saturday, according to Turkey’s defence ministry.
General Al-Haddad, serving under the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity, died alongside four of his military advisers and three crew members when their Falcon 50 business jet crashed approximately forty minutes after departing from Ankara on Tuesday, December 24, 2025. The aircraft came down in the Haymana district near Turkey’s capital, with wreckage located by Turkish security personnel hours after the incident.
Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler oversaw a brief repatriation ceremony at the Murted air base near Ankara on Saturday, the ministry announced via its official X account. The solemn event marked the beginning of the journey home for the seven victims, whose deaths have sent shockwaves through Libya’s fractured political landscape.
Turkish authorities have indicated that the aircraft experienced an electrical failure, though officials stress that a comprehensive investigation into the crash’s cause will be conducted by what they termed a “neutral country,” with Germany emerging as a possible candidate to lead the probe.
The plane’s black box flight recorder was recovered from farmland near the crash site, providing investigators with crucial data that may shed light on the final moments before impact. According to a French diplomatic source, two French nationals were among the three crew members killed in the accident. The Falcon 50 had been chartered from Harmony Jets, a Malta-based aviation company that maintains its fleet in Lyon, France.
The tragedy has prompted an unusual display of solidarity in a country long divided by civil conflict. Both Libya’s Government of National Unity based in Tripoli and the rival administration in Benghazi, controlled by Marshal Khalifa Haftar, declared three days of national mourning—a rare moment of unity in a nation that has struggled with political fragmentation since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Since Gaddafi’s ousting fourteen years ago, Libya has been unable to establish lasting stability, with two competing executives vying for power and legitimacy. The western region, including Tripoli, is governed by the internationally recognised Government of National Unity, whilst the eastern territories remain under Haftar’s control.
Turkey has long been a vocal supporter of the Tripoli-based government, providing military assistance and diplomatic backing to the administration. However, Ankara has in recent years sought to improve relations with Marshal Haftar’s eastern government, attempting to position itself as a potential mediator in Libya’s ongoing political crisis.
General Al-Haddad’s visit to Turkey at the time of the crash underscores the ongoing military and diplomatic ties between Ankara and the Tripoli government. The general had been serving as Chief of Staff of Libya’s armed forces under the Government of National Unity, playing a crucial role in the administration’s military operations and strategic planning.
The loss of General Al-Haddad and his senior advisers represents a significant blow to the Tripoli government’s military leadership. The four advisers who died alongside him were part of the general’s inner circle, suggesting the crash has created a substantial vacuum in the command structure of Libya’s western military establishment.
