Photograph: Turkish Defence Ministry via APA private jet carrying Libya’s military chief and four other people crashed after takeoff from Turkey’s capital, Ankara, on Tuesday, killing everyone on board. The Libyan military chief was in Ankara for high-level defence talks aimed at boosting military co-operation between the two countries and to address regional issues, Turkish officials said. Officials in Libya said contact with the plane was lost about half-an-hour into the flight because of a technical malfunction. He played a crucial role in the UN-brokered ongoing efforts to unify Libya’s military, which has split much like Libya’s institutions. Turkey deployed troops following a 2019 security and military co-operation agreement that was reached between Ankara and the Tripoli-based government.

Source: The Irish Times December 24, 2025 07:01 UTC