6 crew members killed

All 6 crew members aboard refueling aircraft killed in Iraq crash, US military says

By Kaanita Iyer

All crew members who were aboard the refueling aircraft that went down in Iraq Thursday have been confirmed dead, US Central Command announced today.

“All six crew members aboard a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft that went down in western Iraq are now confirmed deceased,” CENTCOM said in a post on X.

The military previously announced the deaths of four of the crew members aboard the aircraft.

CENTCOM shared in an earlier post that the incident is under investigation, but it determined that the crash “was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.”

The Islamic Resistance of Iraq, an umbrella group of factions loyal to Iran, has claimed responsibility for downing the aircraft. The group did not provide evidence for its claims.

Another aircraft was also involved in the incident but it landed safely in Israel, the country’s ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter said in a post on X.

The military is withholding the names of the deceased service members until 24 hours after next of kin are notified.