All Crew Killed in U.S. Refueling Aircraft Crash in Iraq

Darwin, 14 March : All crew members aboard a U.S. Air Force refueling aircraft have been killed after the plane crashed in western Iraq.

According to the U.S. military’s Central Command (CENTCOM), the crashed KC-135 aircraft was carrying six crew members, all of whom died in the incident.

CENTCOM said two aircraft were operating in the area at the time. One of them crashed in western Iraq, while the other managed to land safely.

Earlier reports confirmed four deaths while efforts were underway to locate two missing crew members. Authorities later confirmed that the remaining two had also died.

CENTCOM stated that the aircraft was not brought down by fire from either enemy or friendly forces. However, an investigation is currently underway to determine the exact cause of the crash.

Meanwhile, the Iran-aligned armed coalition known as the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” has claimed responsibility for targeting the aircraft.

According to a report by China’s state news agency Xinhua, the group said in two separate statements that its fighters used “appropriate weapons” to shoot down a KC-135 aircraft.

The group also claimed that it struck a second aircraft of the same type, forcing it to make an emergency landing.

The armed group said the operation was carried out to defend Iraq’s sovereignty and airspace.

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

Tensions across the Middle East have escalated sharply since February 28, following a joint U.S.–Israeli strike on Iran. In response, Iran launched missile and drone attacks on Israeli targets and U.S. military installations in the region.

The reported attack and crash of the U.S. military aircraft comes amid this growing regional instability. Earlier, three F-15 Eagle fighter jets had also crashed in Kuwait.