A US military refuelling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday local time, US Central Command said, adding that rescue efforts were underway.
The incident involved two aircraft — the KC-135, which crashed, and another unidentified aircraft, which “landed safely”.
“US Central Command is aware of the loss of a US KC-135 refueling aircraft. The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing,” the CENTCOM statement said.
What we know about the crash
The KC-135 that crashed in Iraq had six service members on board, Reuters reported citing US officials familiar with the matter. The second aircraft, which landed safely, was a KC-135 as well, the news agency reported.
It is, however, unclear if there were any casualties in the crash.
It is also not clear what led the refueling aircraft to crash — “This was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” clarified CENTCOM, without providing any further details.
Built by Boeing in the 1950s and early 1960s, the KC-135 has served as the backbone of the US military’s air refueling fleet and is critical for long-drawn aerial missions that require planes to fly continuously without landing.
Shortly after the US CENTCOM confirmed the crash, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed armed factions, claimed responsibility for downing the refueling aircraft.
The group said in a statement it had shot down the KC-135 aircraft “in defense of our country’s sovereignty and airspace,” reported Reuters.
Fourth US aircraft downed
The KC-135 that crashed in Iraq was the fourth US aircraft downed since the US and Israel started carrying out joint strikes against Iran on 28 February, marking the start of Operation Epic Fury.
Earlier this month, three US Air Force jets were mistakenly shot down in a “friendly fire” incident by Kuwait air defences. All crew members in those jets ejected safely.
Meanwhile, seven US troops have been killed in the conflict in the US-Israeli war on Iran thus far, while Reuters reported that as many as 150 US troops had been wounded as of Tuesday.
The overall death toll in Iran is more than 1,300, according to the country’s UN ambassador, while nearly 700 more have been killed in strikes on Lebanon.
