4 deaths confirmed in US military refueling aircraft crash in Iraq

Four of the six service members onboard a refueling aircraft died when the plane crashed in western Iraq on Thursday afternoon, the U.S. Central Command (Centcom) confirmed on Friday. Rescue efforts were continuing for the remaining two service members as of 5:30 a.m. EST. “The circumstances of the incident are under investigation. However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” Centcom posted on the social platform X early Friday morning. The command noted that the identities of the fallen would not be shared until 24 hours after notifying next of kin. Centcom said on Thursday afternoon that two aircraft were involved in this incident and that the second plane “landed safely.”  The downed KC-135 refueler was in the Middle East to support the ongoing joint U.S.-Israel military operations against Iran. The crash now brings the death toll for U.S. service members during Operation Epic Fury to 11, after seven members of the military were killed during Iran’s retaliatory strikes on U.S. bases in the region. Centcom said that U.S. military operations have hit around 6,000 Iranian targets since the conflict began at the end of February and have hit or sunk over 90 Iranian vessels, including more than 30 mine-laying boats.