United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has confirmed the deaths of four service members following the crash of a KC-135 Stratotanker in western Iraq on Thursday afternoon.
The incident occurred at approximately 2:00 p.m. ET on March 12, during what officials described as a routine refueling mission.
Of the six crew members on board the strategic aircraft, four have been confirmed deceased, while search and rescue operations remain active for the remaining personnel.
In a statement released via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Friday, CENTCOM emphasized that preliminary findings suggest the crash was not the result of combat action.
“The circumstances of the incident are under investigation. However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” the statement read.
The statement noted that the military investigators are currently working to determine if mechanical failure, environmental conditions, or human error played a role in the downing of the multi-engine aircraft, which is a backbone of U.S. aerial operations in the region.
It added that the Department of Defense is currently withholding the names of the deceased service members. In accordance with standard military policy, identities will be made public 24 hours after the completion of “Next of Kin” notifications.
The KC-135 Stratotanker is primarily used to provide mid-air refueling for combat and surveillance aircraft, significantly extending the range and endurance of U.S. and coalition forces operating in the Middle East.
While the U.S. military maintained that the incident occurred in friendly airspace and was not caused by hostile fire, Tehran issued a sharp contradiction.
A spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters claimed the aircraft was successfully targeted and shot down by Iranian-aligned air defense systems.
The official, quoted in several media platforms, reported that all crew members perished in the strike.
Furthermore, Iran alleges that a second U.S. aircraft involved in the mission sustained heavy damage and was forced to make an emergency landing in Tel Aviv, Israel.
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