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A US military KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday, marking at least the fourth American warplane lost since the war in the Middle East began last month, according to US Central Command.
A second aircraft involved in the incident landed safely, and CENTCOM emphasized that the crash was not the result of combat. "This was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire," the command said in a statement, without providing further details about the cause or the fate of the crew.
The crash adds to a growing tally of aircraft losses that have punctuated the US military campaign since fighting erupted on February 28. Three American F-15E Strike Eagle fighters were previously shot down over Kuwait by friendly fire, though all six crewmembers aboard those jets successfully ejected and survived, CENTCOM said.
The Pentagon has not disclosed how many personnel were aboard the downed KC-135 at the time of the crash. According to a US Air Force factsheet, the aircraft typically flies with a crew of three, a pilot, a copilot and a boom operator responsible for the midair refueling mechanism. Some missions also require a navigator, and the aircraft is capable of carrying up to 37 passengers.
CENTCOM did not say whether the tanker was carrying any passengers or additional crew beyond its standard complement, leaving open questions about potential casualties.
The loss of the KC-135 follows a troubling pattern of non-combat aircraft losses. Early in the conflict, Kuwaiti forces mistakenly downed the three F-15Es during a period of intense fighting that CENTCOM said at the time included "attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones." All six crew aboard the fighters ejected safely, but the incidents raised serious questions about coordination among allied forces operating in a complex, multi-threat environment.
The distinction CENTCOM drew between the KC-135 crash and those earlier shootdowns, explicitly ruling out both hostile and friendly fire, suggests the tanker may have been lost to mechanical failure or another non-combat cause, though the military has offered no explanation.
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