Dalena Reporters l December 24, 2025
Libya’s top military commander, Lieutenant General Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, along with seven others, has been killed after the private jet carrying them crashed near Ankara, Turkey, authorities confirmed Wednesday. The tragic accident occurred as the delegation was returning to Tripoli following official defence talks in the Turkish capital.
According to Turkish officials, the Dassault Falcon 50 business jet — leased and registered in Malta — took off from Ankara’s Esenboga Airport on Tuesday, December 23, 2025. Minutes later the aircraft reported an electrical malfunction and requested an emergency landing, but then lost contact with air traffic control while descending toward the runway. The plane’s wreckage was later located near Kesikkavak village in Haymana district, roughly 70 kilometres south of Ankara.
All eight people on board — including General al-Haddad, four senior Libyan military officials and three Turkish crew members — perished in the crash, which is now under investigation by Turkish authorities. Both the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder have been recovered to aid the inquiry.
The military officials killed alongside al-Haddad included General Al-Fitouri Ghraibil, head of Libya’s ground forces; Brigadier General Mahmoud Al-Qatawi, director of the Military Manufacturing Authority; Mohammed Al-Asawi Diab, a senior military adviser; and Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, a military photographer.
Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah called the incident a “great loss for the nation” and announced three days of national mourning, underscoring the profound impact on Libya’s efforts to unify its fractured military. Turkey’s authorities also extended condolences as search-and-rescue teams completed recovery operations, even as investigators work to determine the precise cause of the crash.
General al-Haddad, who was born in Misrata and served as Chief of the General Staff, was widely regarded as a unifying military figure in Libya’s years-long political turmoil. His death and that of his senior colleagues mark a major blow to Libya’s internationally recognised Government of National Unity amid ongoing efforts to stabilise the country’s defence forces.
Published by Dalena Reporters.