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.
The incident occurred at about 14:00 ET (19:00 GMT) on Thursday, according to Centcom, which added that the circumstances of the crash were under investigation.
The US 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.
Police Response and Timeline
A search and rescue operation was launched to locate the remaining two crew members, according to Centcom.
Gen Dan Caine, chair of the US Joint Chiefs, stated that the plane had crashed "while the crew was on a combat mission" during a news conference on Friday.
Official Statements
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 crash brings the official US military death toll in the US-Israel war with Iran to 13, according to reports.
Investigation Underway
The US military has now lost at least four aircraft during the current war, including three F-15s shot down earlier this month in a friendly fire incident over Kuwait.
Centcom described the crash as happening over friendly airspace, but this is a region of Iraq where pro-Iranian militias operate, with Iran's military claiming an allied group had targeted the plane with a missile.
