Washington: Four crew members aboard a US military aircraft that crashed in western Iraq are confirmed to have been killed, the US military said on Friday, as rescue efforts continued for the remaining two.
The KC-135 aircraft had six crew members aboard, a US official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The crash did not result from hostile fire or friendly fire, the military said in a statement. It described the plane as “a loss”.
US Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, said two aircraft were involved. One landed safely, while the other went down in western Iraq.
A second US official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said the other plane was also a KC-135 tanker.
This marks the fourth publicly acknowledged aircraft crash in the US military’s operations against Iran. Last week, three US F-15E Strike Eagles were mistakenly downed by friendly Kuwaiti fire. All six crew members safely ejected and were recovered in stable condition, the US said.
The Pentagon said earlier this week that seven American troops have died in combat during the Iran war so far, with about 140 service members injured, including eight severely.
Both President Donald Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth have warned that the Iran war would likely claim more American lives before it ends.
Six of the fallen were Army Reserve logistics troops killed when an Iranian drone struck an operations centre at a civilian port in Kuwait one day after the US and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran on February 28. The Islamic Republic has retaliated with missiles and drones against Israel and several Gulf Arab states hosting US forces.
The seventh service member died after being wounded in a March 1 attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, according to the Associated Press.
The KC-135 tanker follows the Boeing 707 airliner design and entered service over 60 years ago. It has seen various retrofits. These tankers usually carry three crew members; the extra members’ roles are unclear.
