Sat Dec 27 08:08:40 UTC 2025: Headline: Turkey Holds Military Funeral for Libyan Officers Killed in Plane Crash; Black Boxes Sent to Germany for Analysis

Ankara, Turkey – A military funeral ceremony was held in Ankara, Turkey, on Saturday, December 27, 2025, for five Libyan military officers, including western Libya’s military chief, Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, who perished in a private jet crash earlier this week. The plane, carrying the officers and three crew members, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ankara on Tuesday, December 24, 2025, killing all on board.

The Libyan delegation was returning to Tripoli after holding defense talks in Ankara, aimed at strengthening military cooperation between Libya and Turkey. Libyan officials have attributed the crash to a technical malfunction.

The ceremony, held at Murted Airfield near Ankara, was attended by the Turkish military chief and the Defense Minister. Five caskets, draped in the Libyan flag, were loaded onto a plane for repatriation to Libya. Turkey’s military chief, Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, also boarded the plane headed for Libya, according to TRT news agency.

Following the crash, the bodies were identified at the Ankara Forensic Medicine Institute using DNA comparison with a 22-person delegation that arrived from Libya. Turkish Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc announced that Germany has been requested to assist in examining the jet’s black boxes as a neutral third party to determine the definitive cause of the crash.

The incident comes at a sensitive time for Libya, which has been embroiled in instability since the 2011 ouster of Moammar Gadhafi. The country remains divided between rival administrations, each backed by various militias and foreign powers. Turkey has been a key supporter of the western Libyan government, but has recently been working to improve relations with the eastern administration. The loss of General Al-Haddad is a significant blow to the ongoing UN-brokered efforts to unify Libya’s military.

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