Turkiye holds military ceremony for Libyan army chief killed in crash

Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler and military chief Selcuk Bayraktaroglu attend ceremony at an airbase near Ankara.Published On 27 Dec 2025Turkiye has held a military ceremony to honour a group of Libyan officials, including military chief Mohammed Ali Ahmed al-Haddad, who were killed in a plane crash over Turkish territory earlier this week.The ceremony, held on Sunday at Murted airbase outside the capital, Ankara, honoured al-Haddad and four other military officers who were in Turkiye for high-level defence talks before the crash on Tuesday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Libya mourns after army chief dies in plane crash near Turkiye’s capitallist 2 of 4Libyan army chief killed in plane crash: What next?list 3 of 4Turkiye, Libya intensify probe into deadly plane crash near Ankaralist 4 of 4Ties with Turkiye improve “once Libya can patch its internal differences”end of listTurkiye’s military chief Selcuk Bayraktaroglu and Defence Minister Yasar Guler were in attendance at the ceremony. The remains of the Libyan officials will be transported back home, where an official funeral will be held.The aircraft carrying the Libyan delegation went down on Tuesday shortly after taking off from Ankara, following what Libyan officials said was a technical malfunction. All those on board, including three crew members, were killed.Al-Haddad, Libya’s highest-ranking military officer, was a key figure in the United Nations-brokered efforts to unify the country’s divided armed forces. His death drew condolences even from the rival factions.“Haddad was this strong, charismatic leader who always [sought] peace in the country,” said Al Jazeera’s Malik Traina, reporting from al-Haddad’s hometown of Misrata, Libya. “He was a man of peace, well-respected across the country, even among people he fought against.”Khalifa Haftar, head of eastern Libya’s rival administration – whose forces al-Haddad opposed during a 2019 advance on western Libya – was among those who extended sympathies.