An American military refueling plane taking part in the operation against Iran crashed in Iraq and rescue efforts were underway, US Central Command said Thursday.
It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties. A US official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the developing situation, said the KC-135 aircraft that crashed had at least five crew members aboard.
The crash was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire, the military said in a statement, which described the plane as “a loss.”
US Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, said that two aircraft were involved and that one landed safely and the other went down in western Iraq.
A second US official, who similarly spoke on condition of anonymity, said the other plane involved also was a KC-135 tanker.
“More information will be made available as the situation develops,” Central Command said. “We ask for continued patience to gather additional details and provide clarity for the families of service members.”
The tanker is the fourth publicly acknowledged aircraft to crash as part of the US military’s operations against Iran. Last week, three American fighter jets were mistakenly downed by friendly Kuwaiti fire.
All six crew members safely ejected from the F-15E Strike Eagles and were in stable condition after being recovered, the US said.
Seven American troops have been killed in combat during the Iran war so far, while about 140 US service members have been injured, including eight severely, the Pentagon said earlier this week.
Both President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have warned that the Iran war would likely claim more American lives before it ends.
