Libya held official ceremonies on Saturday to receive the bodies of its late army chief of staff Mohammed al-Haddad and his companions, who were killed in a plane crash in Türkiye earlier this week. The remains were flown to Tripoli International Airport, where they were received by senior Libyan officials including head of the Libyan Presidential Council Mohamed al-Menfi and Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah, the Libyan News Agency reported.

Al-Menfi posthumously promoted al-Haddad to the rank of "Field Marshal" in recognition of his service, it reported.

Dbeibah pledged a thorough investigation into the crash, saying Libyan authorities are working closely with Türkiye to uncover the full circumstances, it reported.

Earlier on Saturday, a military farewell ceremony was held at the Murted Air Base in Türkiye's Ankara, attended by top Turkish officials including Defense Minister Yasar Guler and Chief of General Staff Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, who later traveled to Libya for the repatriation ceremony, Turkish semi-official Anadolu Agency reported.

Al-Haddad and four other Libyan military officials were killed on Tuesday when their business jet crashed south of Ankara. Al-Haddad had been in the Turkish capital for high-level military talks before the incident.

Libya has remained divided since the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The country is split between the UN-recognized Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli and the eastern administration backed by the Libyan National Army (LNA) under the command of Khalifa Haftar.

After the plane crash, the GNU declared three days of national mourning, while the LNA voiced deep condolences. ■

A military farewell ceremony is held for the remains of Libya's late army chief of staff Mohammed al-Haddad and his companions, who were killed in a plane crash in Türkiye earlier this week, in Ankara, Türkiye, Dec. 27, 2025.

The ceremony was attended by top Turkish officials including Defense Minister Yasar Guler and Chief of General Staff Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, who later traveled to Libya for the repatriation ceremony, Turkish semi-official Anadolu Agency reported. (Mustafa Kaya/Handout via Xinhua)