An American military refueling plane, involved in the operation against Iran, crashed in Iraq, informed the US Central Command on Thursday. The KC-135 aircraft that crashed had at least five crew members aboard, said a US official speaking on condition of anonymity with a media outlet.
US Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, said that two aircraft were involved and that one landed safely and the other went down in western Iraq. The crash was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire, the military said in a statement, which described the plane as “a loss.” Both planes were KC-135 tankers.
“More information will be made available as the situation develops,” Central Command said, adding, “We ask for continued patience to gather additional details and provide clarity for the families of service members.”
The tanker is the fourth publicly acknowledged aircraft to crash as part of the US military's operations against Iran. Last week, three American fighter jets were mistakenly downed by friendly Kuwaiti fire.
Seven American troops have been killed in combat during the Iran war so far, while about 140 US service members have been injured, including eight severely, the Pentagon said earlier this week. Six of the fallen service members were killed when an Iranian drone struck an operations centre at a civilian port in Kuwait. They were in the Army Reserve and worked in logistics, keeping troops supplied with food and equipment. They died one day after the US and Israel launched the military campaign against Iran on February 28. Meanwhile, the seventh American service member died after being wounded during a March 1 attack on the Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia.
Both President Donald Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth have warned that the Iran war would likely claim more American lives before it ends.
The KC-135 tanker involved in the latest crash is based on the same design as the Boeing 707 airliner and entered military service more than 60 years ago. Like other long-serving aircraft, the planes have undergone various retrofits and upgrades over the years.
The KC-135 tankers typically have a crew of three. It's not immediately clear what role the extra crew members were serving aboard the flight.
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