A private jet carrying Libya's military chief, four other officers and three crew members crashed on Tuesday after takeoff from Turkey's capital, Ankara, killing everyone on board. The Libyan delegation was in Ankara for high-level defence talks aimed at boosting military cooperation between the two countries, Turkish officials said. Al-Hadad was the top military commander in western Libya and played a crucial role in the ongoing, UN-brokered efforts to unify Libya's military, which has split, much like Libya's institutions. Turkish officials said the wreckage of the Falcon 50-type business jet had been found near the village of Kesikkavak, in Haymana, a district some 70 kilometres (about 43.5 miles) south of Ankara. Turkey deployed troops following a 2019 security and military cooperation agreement that was reached between Ankara and the Tripoli-based government.

Source: The Telegraph December 24, 2025 05:28 UTC