Libya's army chief dies in plane crash in Turkey

"The Libyan army's chief of staff, Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, has been killed in a plane crash after leaving Turkey's capital Ankara. The prime minister of Libya's internationally recognised government confirmed on Tuesday evening that Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad had died and that four others were on the jet with him. This followed a tragic and painful incident while they were returning from an official trip from the Turkish city of Ankara."

"Debris pieces, believed to belong to the aircraft, are found during search and rescue operation after a Libya-bound private jet carrying the Libyan army chief lost contact with the control tower in Turkey on 23 December, 2025. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images He said the commander of Libya's ground forces, the director of its military manufacturing authority, an adviser to the chief of staff, and a photographer from the chief of staff's office were also on the aircraft."

"The Turkish interior minister, Ali Yerlikaya, said on X that the plane had taken off from Ankara's Esenboga airport at 1710 GMT en route to Tripoli, and that radio contact was lost at 1752 GMT. He said authorities found the plane's wreckage near the Kesikkavak village in Ankara's Haymana district. Yerlikaya added that the Dassault Falcon 50-type jet had made a request for an emergency landing while over Haymana, but that no contact was established."

Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, Libya's army chief of staff, died in a plane crash after departing Ankara for Tripoli, with four others aboard. Onboard were the commander of Libya's ground forces, the director of its military manufacturing authority, an adviser to the chief of staff, and a photographer. Debris believed to be from the aircraft was found near Kesikkavak village in Ankara's Haymana district after radio contact was lost. The Dassault Falcon 50-type jet requested an emergency landing while over Haymana but no contact was established. The cause of the crash remains unclear following an official visit to Turkey.

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