Four crew confirmed dead after US military plane crash in Iraq

Four of the six crew members aboard a US KC-135 refuelling plane that crashed in western Iraq were killed, the US military said, while rescue efforts continued for the remaining two. The military said the incident involved another aircraft but was not the result of hostile or friendly fire, and a second aircraft involved landed safely.

US Central Command said rescue teams were carrying out recovery operations and that the incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury. The US has moved a large fleet of aircraft into the Middle East for operations against Iran and deployed specialist search-and-rescue units to extract the downed crew.

The crash is the fourth US aircraft loss since strikes began on 28 February. Three US air force jets were earlier mistakenly shot down by Kuwait air defences, with all crew ejecting safely.

Iraq, Western Iraq

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