A US refueling aircraft “went down” in Iraq on Thursday after crashing in “friendly airspace,” according to authorities who said rescue efforts remain ongoing.
Two aircraft were involved in the crash, with a US KC-135 Stratotanker going down over western Iraq, the US Central Command said.
At least five crew members were aboard the fuel tanker that crashed, a US official told CNN. It is not immediately clear whether the service members were killed or injured.
“The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing,” CENTCOM wrote in a statement.
“This was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.”
The second US aircraft, which landed safely, was also a KC-135, the official told the outlet.
The KC-135 Stratotanker has been the US Air Force’s core refueling aircraft for more than 60 years — providing additional aerial support to the Navy, Marine Corps, and allied nations’ aircraft, according to the US Air Force.
Seven US service members have been killed by airstrikes since the start of the Iran war — including six following a March 1 Iranian attack on an American base in Kuwait.
Around 140 additional service members have been wounded. A vast majority of the injuries have been minor, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell previously said in a statement.
More information on the incident will be available as recovery efforts unfold, CENTCOM said.
