All six crew members of the American KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft were killed in a crash in western Iraq, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced today.
The identities of the deceased will not be released until the next of kin are notified, the statement on the network X says. The incident occurred on Thursday around 2 p.m. Eastern Time.
The circumstances of the crash are under investigation, but according to initial information, the aircraft was not shot down by hostile or friendly fire.
All Crew Members of U.S. KC-135 Loss in Iraq Confirmed Deceased
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 13, 2026
TAMPA, Fla. – All six crew members aboard a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft that went down in western Iraq are now confirmed deceased. The aircraft was lost while flying over friendly airspace March 12 during…
CENTCOM earlier today announced that four crew members had died, and now the number of victims has increased. They were killed during operations related to the war against Iran after an aerial refueling aircraft of the KC-135 type was lost in “friendly airspace” over Iraq, while the search and rescue of the crew was underway.
In the incident, as stated by CENTCOM in a post on the social network X, two aircraft were involved, one of which crashed in western Iraq, while the other landed safely.
MORE TOPICS:
Source: Tanjug, Foto: AP Photo / Hiro Komae