Turkey Confirms Death of 20 Personnel in Military Plane Crash in Georgia
Twenty Turkish soldiers killed in Georgia crash.
Turkey’s Defense Minister Yasar Guler confirmed on Wednesday that all 20 military personnel aboard a C-130 cargo plane perished in a crash in Georgia’s Sighnaghi municipality near the Azerbaijan border. The aircraft had taken off from Azerbaijan and was heading back to Turkey on Tuesday when contact was abruptly lost just minutes after entering Georgian airspace, with no distress signal transmitted beforehand.
Guler paid tribute to the victims as “heroic comrades-in-arms martyred on November 11, 2025,” posting their photographs on X to honor their service. The C-130, a reliable mainstay in Turkey’s armed forces for transporting troops and logistical supplies, left wreckage scattered over a vast area. A specialized Turkish accident investigation team reached the site early Wednesday to analyze the debris and establish the cause of the disaster.
The flight underscored the strong military partnership between Turkey and Azerbaijan, recently highlighted by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s presence at Baku’s Victory Day celebrations on November 8, marking Azerbaijan’s 2020 success in the Karabakh region. Such operations reflect ongoing collaboration in defense and regional security between the two closely allied nations.
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Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev conveyed deep shock, declaring, “We are deeply shocked by the loss of our soldiers on Georgian soil.” Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Botchorishvili also offered heartfelt condolences to Turkish authorities, emphasizing solidarity in the face of this tragic incident.
The ongoing investigation will determine the factors behind the crash, which has cast a somber shadow over Turkey’s military community. Given the C-130’s vital role in national defense logistics, the loss significantly affects operational capabilities and strengthens the resolve to enhance safety in bilateral military engagements.
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