All six crew members aboard a U.S. military KC-135 refueling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq are confirmed to have been killed, the U.S. military said on Friday.
A U.S. Air Force KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft is seen at Riga International Airport, Latvia June 6, 2018, Reuters/Ints Kalnins
All six crew members aboard a U.S. military KC-135 refueling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq are confirmed to have been killed, the U.S. military said on Friday.
The U.S. military refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday, in an incident the military said involved another aircraft but was not the result of hostile or friendly fire.
The deaths add to the seven U.S. service members who have already been killed as part of U.S. operations against Iran which began on February 28.
"The circumstances of the incident are under investigation. However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire," a statement from U.S. Central Command said.
A U.S. official told Reuters that the second aircraft involved in the crash, which landed safely, was also a military refueling aircraft known as the KC-135.
The United States has deployed a large number of aircraft into the Middle East to take part in operations against Iran and the incident highlights the risk of not just operations, but of refueling aircraft in the air.
The KC-135, built by Boeing in the 1950s and early 1960s, has served as the backbone of the U.S. military's air refueling fleet and is critical to allowing aircraft to carry out missions without having to land.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed armed factions, claimed responsibility for downing the U.S. military refueling aircraft.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that as many as 150 U.S. troops have been wounded in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. News of the crash comes the same day two U.S. sailors were injured after the USS Gerald Ford suffered a non-combat-related fire on board.
The first seven U.S. troops were killed when a drone slammed into a U.S. military facility in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait and in another attack in Saudi Arabia.
President Donald Trump and other senior officials have warned the Iran conflict will result in more U.S. military deaths as Tehran retaliates against U.S. and Israeli strikes.
By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart
A French soldier was killed and six others wounded Thursday evening in a drone attack in the Erbil region of Iraqi Kurdistan, marking the first French military death since the outbreak of the Middle East war.
Two tankers were ablaze in Iraqi waters on Thursday after what appeared to be Iranian strikes, the latest wave of attacks on oil and transport facilities across the Middle East, as Iran warned the world should be ready for oil to hit $200 a barrel.
An Italian military base in Iraqi Kurdistan was struck by a missile overnight though no injuries were reported, the Italian defence ministry said on Thursday.
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