4 crew members killed in crash of American KC-135 refueling aircraft in Iraq, US confirms

Image - CENTCOM

The United States Central Command (US CENTCOM) confirmed on Friday that four crew members died after a US Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker refuelling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday.

The KC-135 refueling plane that was part of the American military campaign against Iran crashed over western Iraq after an incident involving another plane.

CENTCOM stated that the aircraft, carrying six crew members, went down around 2:00 pm Eastern Time on March 12. Rescue operations are currently ongoing, the command added.

Officials emphasized that the crash was not the result of hostile action or friendly fire. “At approximately 2 pm ET on March 12, a U.S. KC-135 refuelling aircraft went down in western Iraq.

Four of six crew members on board have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue. The circumstances of the incident are under investigation. The loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile or friendly fire,” CENTCOM said. The identities of the members who died are being withheld their families can be notified, USCentcom added.

This plane is believed to be the fourth US aircraft lost since the US and Israel began launching strikes against Iran on February 28. Three US air force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down in a friendly fire incident by Kuwait air defences earlier this month. All crew members in those jets ejected safely.

Seven US troops have been killed in the conflict, while as many as 150 US troops have been wounded. The death toll in Iran is more than 1,300, according to the country’s UN ambassador.