Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
All six crew members aboard a US military aerial refuelling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq have been confirmed dead, according to an update released Friday by United States Central Command.
The aircraft, a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker tanker used for aerial refuelling missions, went down on Thursday during operations linked to the ongoing military campaign involving the United States and Israel against Iran.
Earlier in the day, US Central Command had reported that four of the six crew members had been killed and that search operations were ongoing for the remaining two personnel. In its latest statement, the command confirmed that all six had died in the crash.
Military officials said the cause of the incident remains under investigation but stressed that the aircraft was not brought down by hostile fire or friendly fire.
“The identities of the deceased are being withheld until next of kin notifications are completed,” the command said in a statement.
The KC-135, built by Boeing, is a key component of the US Air Force’s global aerial refuelling fleet and plays a crucial role in extending the range and endurance of combat aircraft during long-distance operations.
The crash marks the fourth loss of a US military aircraft since Washington and Tel Aviv began their coordinated air campaign against Iranian targets on February 28, part of a widening regional conflict that has drawn in multiple actors across the Middle East.
Earlier this month, three US Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses in a friendly-fire incident. All pilots managed to eject safely and survived the incident.
The latest crash comes as the conflict continues to take a growing toll on US forces in the region. Seven American service members have been killed in the fighting so far, while reports indicate that up to 150 US troops have been wounded since the hostilities began.
Meanwhile, the human cost inside Iran has been far greater. According to Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, more than 1,300 people have been killed in the country since the start of the strikes.
The intensifying conflict has involved sustained airstrikes on Iranian infrastructure and retaliatory attacks by Iranian forces and allied militias against US and Israeli targets across the Middle East, raising fears of a broader regional war.
US officials have warned that the situation remains volatile and that further casualties among American forces are possible as operations continue.
The United States Armed Forces had announced that one of its aerial refueling aircraft has crashed over western Iraq with 6 crew members on board.
According to an initial statement from the US military, the aircraft involved was a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, a tanker plane widely used to refuel military jets during operations.
Officials said the aircraft went down in a western area of Iraq. Four American service members were killed after a US military aircraft crashed in western Iraq, the US military confirmed on Friday, as rescue teams continued searching for two additional crew members who remain missing.
The KC-135 Stratotanker has been a key component of US air operations for decades, providing in-flight refueling capabilities that allow combat and surveillance aircraft to extend their range and remain airborne for longer missions.
The US military said additional information would be released as the situation becomes clearer and investigations into the incident continue.
