Six crew members were killed when a US Air Force refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq on Thursday, US Central Command announced Friday morning.
The Tampa, Fla.-based command initially confirmed that four were killed when the KC-135 Stratotanker went down in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury.
“The circumstances of the incident are under investigation. However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
Two planes were involved in the crash. The second aircraft, also a KC-135, landed safely.
The US military was withholding the identities of the crew members until 24 hours after their families were notified.
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The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed armed factions, claimed responsibility for taking down the aircraft Thursday evening.
The group said in a statement that it had shot down the military refueling tanker “in defense of our country’s sovereignty and airspace.”
A total of 13 American service members have been killed since combat operations began Feb. 28.
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New York Post
