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All six crew members aboard a U.S. Air Force KC-135 refueling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq died, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Friday.
The aircraft went down on March 12 while operating in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, a military campaign launched last month targeting Iran. CENTCOM said the circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation but confirmed the incident was not caused by hostile fire or friendly fire.
Officials added that the names of the service members are being withheld until at least 24 hours after their families are notified..
CENTCOM previously said the event involved two KC-135 aircraft operating in the area.
One aircraft crashed in western Iraq while the second aircraft landed safely after the incident. The command did not initially confirm casualties but later clarified that six crew members had been aboard the aircraft that went down.
The crash occurred around 2 p.m. Eastern Time, according to the command's earlier update.
The crash raises the U.S. death toll since the war began to at least 13 service members, including seven killed in combat, while about 140 others have been injured.
While U.S. officials ruled out hostile action, Iranian and Iraqi groups offered competing explanations.
Iranian state television reported that a spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya military headquarters, affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, claimed the aircraft was struck by missiles fired by what it described as resistance factions.
Separately, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq said armed groups had shot down a U.S. KC-135 aircraft in western Iraq, stating the attack was carried out in response to what it called violations of Iraqi airspace.
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