Four out of the six crew members on board a US Air Force refuelling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq have been confirmed dead, the US military said Friday.
The KC-135 aircraft went down in western Iraq at approximately 2 pm US Eastern Time (1800GMT) on Thursday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees military operations in the Mideast and parts of Asia, said in a statement.
“Four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue,” the statement said.
The identities of the service members are being withheld until at least 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified, the statement added.
The military said the circumstances of the incident are being investigated. However, the statement claimed that the crash was not caused by hostile or friendly fire.
Earlier in the day, Iranian state TV, citing a spokesman for the Khatam al-Anbiya military headquarters affiliated with the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that the aircraft was struck by missiles fired by “resistance factions,” causing it to crash.
The spokesman said the aircraft belonged to the US military and that all the crew members were killed, according to the report.
CENTCOM earlier said two aircraft were involved in the incident, with one refuelling aircraft going down in western Iraq while a second tanker landed safely.
