Four of the six crew members aboard a U.S. KC‑135 tanker crashed in western Iraq, leaving the aircraft destroyed and the pilots dead. The U.S. Department of Defense confirmed the crash and said rescue efforts continue, while an investigation is underway. It also clarified that the accident was not caused by hostile or friendly fire.
The identities of the deceased soldiers will be released 24 hours after their families are notified. The tanker was part of the ongoing U.S. air campaign against Iran and was one of two aircraft involved in the incident; the other aircraft landed safely.
The crash occurred over airspace that is not contested, even though pro‑Iran militia groups operate in that region. Iranian state media claimed a pro‑Iran group fired a missile at the plane. Since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict, seven U.S. soldiers have been killed, and U.S. forces have lost at least four aircraft during the war.