All Six Crew Members Confirmed Dead in US Aircraft Crash in Iraq

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Washington D.C.: All six crew members aboard a US military refuelling aircraft have been confirmed dead after the plane crashed in western Iraq, according to the United States Central Command (CENTCOM).

The aircraft, a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, went down on Thursday while taking part in ongoing US military operations linked to the conflict involving Iran. Officials said the crash occurred during a combat mission.

CENTCOM initially reported that four bodies had been recovered, but later confirmed that all six members of the crew had died in the incident.

The US military said no hostile or friendly fire was involved in the crash. The tanker was operating alongside a second aircraft at the time of the incident, which landed safely.

The KC-135, manufactured by Boeing, is designed to refuel fighter jets and bombers mid-air and plays a critical role in extending the operational range of US combat aircraft. The tanker aircraft were widely used during the Gulf War to support long-range missions.

Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters that the aircraft crashed while the crew was on a combat mission.

Meanwhile, Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of Defense, described the fallen crew members as “American heroes”, saying their sacrifice would strengthen the United States’ resolve in the ongoing mission.

A KC-135 tanker typically carries a pilot, co-pilot and boom operator, who controls the refuelling arm used to transfer fuel to other aircraft in flight.

Although the crash occurred over what CENTCOM described as friendly airspace, the area in western Iraq is known to host armed groups aligned with Iran. Iranian state television reported claims that an allied militia had targeted the aircraft with a missile, though US officials have not confirmed this.

Thursday’s crash raises the official US military death toll in the ongoing conflict involving Iran and Israel to 13, while the US military has now lost at least four aircraft since the war began two weeks ago.