A tragic aviation incident has claimed the lives of Libya's top military commander and four other individuals. The plane crash occurred shortly after takeoff from Turikeye on Tuesday, December 23, 2025.
Details of the Fatal Incident
The aircraft was carrying Libyan Chief of General Staff Gen. Mohamed Ali Ahmed El Haddad. He was among the five people killed when the plane went down. The crash happened soon after the flight departed from Turkish airspace. Earlier on the same day, Gen. El Haddad had been photographed meeting with Turikeye's Chief of General Staff Gen. Selcuk Bayraktaroglu in the capital city of Ankara.
A Meeting Before the Tragedy
The official photograph released by the Turkish Defence Ministry shows the two military leaders together during their discussions. The meeting in Ankara was part of ongoing diplomatic and security engagements between the two nations. The precise cause of the subsequent crash is not yet known and is likely to be the subject of an intensive investigation involving authorities from both countries.
Implications and Immediate Aftermath
The death of a sitting chief of general staff represents a significant blow to Libya's military structure and its international partnerships. The loss of Gen. El Haddad creates an immediate leadership vacuum at a critical time for the North African nation. The other victims of the crash have not been publicly identified at this early stage. The international community is expected to monitor the investigation's progress closely, as the event carries substantial geopolitical weight in the region.
This incident underscores the ever-present risks associated with aviation, even for high-ranking officials on state business. As condolences likely pour in from global capitals, the focus will shift to determining the technical or human factors that led to this devastating outcome on December 23.
