American Refueling Plane Crashes in Western Iraq

SadaNews - The U.S. military announced late Thursday - Friday that one of its KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq, while a second aircraft involved in the incident landed safely.

The U.S. Central Command stated earlier that it was conducting a rescue operation after losing the military aircraft in "friendly airspace" in Iraq during the ongoing conflict with Iran. The military said, "Two aircraft were involved in the incident. One crashed in western Iraq, while the other landed safely." They added that the incident was not a result of enemy or friendly fire.

American media reported that the missing aircraft in western Iraq was carrying a crew of six.

The "Islamic Resistance in Iraq," a coalition that includes armed factions allied with Iran, claimed responsibility for shooting down the aircraft. The group stated in a statement that it shot down the aircraft "in defense of our country's sovereignty and its airspace, which is violated by the occupying forces' aircraft." They added that they shot down the American plane "with the appropriate weaponry."

This marks at least the fourth American military aircraft to crash since the start of the American-Israeli war on Iran, after three F-15 planes were shot down by friendly fire over Kuwait. The military command stated at the time that the incident occurred during fighting that involved "attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones."

KC-135 Stratotankers have been in service for more than 60 years, and typically consist of a crew of three: a pilot, a co-pilot, and a third crew member who operates the refueling mechanism for other aircraft, according to U.S. military data. However, some missions require the presence of a navigator, and the aircraft can carry up to 37 passengers, according to the same source.