According to US Central Command (Centcom), all six crew members of a US military refueling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq have now been officially declared deceased. At first, the US claimed to have found four of the crew members who had died. It claimed that neither friendly nor enemy fire contributed to the KC-135 aircraft’s demise on Thursday. One of two aircraft engaged in the event was the tanker, which had been part of continuing US operations against Iran. The second one made a safe landing.
The airplanes made by Boeing are essential to US military operations and have the ability to refuel in midair. They were widely utilized to increase the range of bombers and fighter jets during the First Gulf War. According to Centcom, the event happened on Thursday at around 14:00 ET (19:00 GMT), and the crash’s circumstances are still being looked into. After then, a search and rescue effort was started to find the two crew members who were still missing. The US military command unit further stated that in order to notify their next of kin, the identities of the deceased servicemen were being kept secret for a full day.
At a press briefing on Friday, US Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine stated that the plane crashed “while the crew was on a combat mission.” The crew of the aircraft were praised as “American heroes” by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who emphasized that their “sacrifice will only recommit us to the resolve of this mission”. The crew of a KC-135 typically consists of a pilot, a co-pilot, and a boom operator who is in charge of managing the aircraft’s refueling arm.
Although pro-Iranian militias operate in this area of Iraq, Centcom had previously said that the crash occurred over friendly airspace. Iran’s military declared on state television that a missile had been fired at the aircraft by an ally group.
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