The US Central Command (Centcom) has confirmed that all six crew members of a US military refuelling aircraft have been killed in a crash in western Iraq.
Centcom initially reported that four of the deceased crew had been located, with neither hostile nor friendly fire involved in the loss of the KC-135 aircraft on Thursday.
The incident occurred at about 14:00 ET (19:00 GMT) on Thursday, and the circumstances of the crash are now under investigation, according to Centcom.
Incident Details
The KC-135 aircraft was involved in ongoing US operations against Iran and was one of two aircraft involved in the incident, with the second landing safely.
Gen Dan Caine, chair of the US Joint Chiefs, stated that the plane had crashed "while the crew was on a combat mission".
Response from Authorities
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the crew members as "American heroes", saying their "sacrifice will only recommit us to the resolve of this mission".
The US military command unit added that the identities of the personnel who had been killed were being withheld for 24 hours so their next of kin could be notified.
Investigation Underway
A search and rescue operation was launched to locate the remaining two crew members, and the incident is now under investigation.
According to reports, the KC-135 usually has a crew of at least a pilot, a co-pilot, and a boom operator responsible for controlling the refuelling arm of the aircraft.
