Washington Confirms the Death of 6 Military Personnel in Aircraft Crash in Iraq

SadaNews - The U.S. Central Command announced the death of 6 crew members of a refueling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq, ruling out the possibility that the plane was downed by "hostile or friendly fire".

The Central Command statement said, "It has been confirmed that all 6 crew members of the refueling aircraft that crashed yesterday in western Iraq have been killed," emphasizing that investigations are still ongoing to uncover the circumstances of the incident.

With the death of the six soldiers, the death toll of American forces since the start of the war in Iran has risen to 14, including a soldier who died in a non-combat incident, according to an American official to Al Jazeera.

In a related context, Israeli Channel 12 reported that the second refueling aircraft landed at Ben Gurion Airport.

“Islamic Resistance” Behind the Attack

The Iranian military confirmed in a statement published by state television that the aircraft was hit by a missile fired by armed groups loyal to Iran in western Iraq, and that the crew did not survive the attack.

On the other hand, the “Islamic Resistance” in Iraq claimed early Friday morning that it shot down an American “KC-135” aircraft and targeted another one in western Iraq with appropriate weaponry, adding in a statement that the second aircraft "made an emergency landing at an enemy airport, and its crew managed to escape".

It also stated that it carried out 31 operations using drones and missiles against U.S. bases in Iraq and the region over the past 24 hours.

The Backbone of the U.S. Fuel Fleet

Reuters reported an American official stating that the other aircraft involved in the incident, which landed safely, was also a military refueling aircraft of the “KC-135” model.

This is at least the fourth American military aircraft to crash since the beginning of the American-Israeli war on Iran, following the downing of 3 “F-15” aircraft by friendly fire over Kuwait.

This incident highlights the high operational risks of aerial refueling missions at a time when the U.S. is intensifying its air presence in the Middle East as part of operations directed against Iran.

This aircraft, manufactured by Boeing in the 1950s and early 1960s, forms the backbone of the U.S. military’s refueling fleet and is vital for allowing aircraft to perform their missions without the need to land.

The aircraft typically has a crew of 3 members: 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 of the aircraft require the presence of a navigator, and it can carry up to 37 passengers.

This comes amid rising attacks on Iran as part of the ongoing American and Israeli war since February 28, and the assaults carried out by Tehran on Gulf countries, Iraq, and Jordan under the pretext of "targeting American bases", along with Iraqi armed factions announcing attacks on bases inside Iraq as well.