Turkey held a military ceremony at Murted airbase to honour Libya’s top general Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad and four other officers killed when their plane crashed shortly after departing Ankara. Five Libyan officials and three crew members died; the coffins were repatriated to Libya amid a state-led tribute. Al-Haddad had been a central figure in UN-backed efforts to unify Libya’s armed forces and received condolences from rival factions, including eastern commander Khalifa Haftar. Observers warn his loss will be hard to replace for Libya’s western government.
Turkey Holds Military Ceremony for Libya’s Top General After Deadly Plane Crash
Libyan army officilas arrive at the crash site of a jet carrying Libya's army chief of staff Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad near Kesikkavak village, Turkiye, on December 24, 2025 [Reuters]
Turkey held a solemn military ceremony on Sunday at Murted airbase, near Ankara, to honour a Libyan delegation that died when their aircraft crashed over Turkish territory earlier this week. The delegation included Libya’s top military commander, Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, and four other senior officers.
The service was attended by Turkey’s military chief, Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, and Defence Minister Yasar Guler. Five coffins draped in Libyan flags were later loaded onto a Turkish plane for repatriation to Libya; state media reported that Bayraktaroglu accompanied the remains on the flight.
Crash Details and Casualties
The aircraft went down shortly after taking off from Ankara on Tuesday. Libyan officials described the incident as the result of a technical malfunction. All on board were killed — five Libyan officials (including al-Haddad) and three crew members.
Al-Haddad’s Role and Reactions
Al-Haddad, Libya’s highest-ranking military officer, was widely regarded as a leading figure in United Nations-backed efforts to unify the country’s divided armed forces and chaired a UN-backed truce committee. His death drew rare cross-factional condolences in a country long fragmented by rival administrations and militias.
“Haddad was this strong, charismatic leader who always [sought] peace in the country,” said Al Jazeera’s Malik Traina from Misrata. “He was a man of peace, well-respected across the country, even among people he fought against.”
Khalifa Haftar, commander of the eastern administration whose forces clashed with al-Haddad during a 2019 advance toward western Libya, issued a statement expressing "deep sorrow over this tragic loss" and extended condolences to the family, tribe and people of al-Haddad.
Wider Context
Libya has been mired in instability since the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi, leaving rival administrations in the east and west supported by various militias and foreign backers. Turkey has been a primary backer of the western-based government but has taken limited steps to improve ties with eastern authorities in recent months.
Observers say it will be difficult for Libya’s western government to replace al-Haddad, whose reputation and leadership in reconciliation efforts were seen as unusually broad for the country’s fractured political-military landscape.
