Photo: Getty Images
Four crew members were killed during a crash in Iraq involving a U.S. Air Force refueling aircraft on Thursday (March 12), the U.S. Central Command confirmed in a post shared on its X account Friday (March 13) morning.
"At approximately 2 pm ET on March 12, a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft went down in western Iraq," CENTCOM wrote. "Four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue. The circumstances of the incident are under investigation. However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire. The identities of the service members are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified."
A second aircraft, also a KC-135, was also involved in the crash but managed to land safely. The U.S. military said it wouldn't publicly reveal the identities of the crew members killed in the crash until 24 hours after their families were notified.
The condition of the other two members onboard the plane during the crash weren't immediately shared. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for taking down the plane involved in the crash, claiming it had reacted “in defense of our country’s sovereignty and airspace" in a statement obtained by the Post.
A total 11 American military members have died since 'Operation Epic Fury' was launched in the Middle East on February 28, which includes six U.S. Army Reserve members killed after Iran launched a drone strike on a U.S. base in Kuwait on day one of the war.