Four crew members killed after US refuelling plane crashes in Iraq

 

File photo of a US Air Force Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refuelling tanker, seen in Israel in February (Image: EPA)

According to US Central Command (Centcom), a US military refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq, killing four out of six crew members. It stated that rescue efforts continue following the loss of the KC-135, despite earlier claims that neither friendly nor hostile fire was involved. One of two aircraft involved in the incident, the tanker, had been a part of ongoing US operations against Iran. The second successfully landed. The Boeing-built aircraft typically play a significant role in US military operations and are capable of midair refueling. During the first Gulf War, they were extensively used to extend the range of fighter jets and bombers.

According to Centcom, the incident occurred on Thursday around 14:00 ET (19:00 GMT), and the circumstances of the crash are currently the subject of an investigation. In addition, the US military command unit stated that the deceased personnel's identities would be withheld for a period of 24 hours so that their surviving relatives could be informed. The crew of a KC-135 typically consists of at least one pilot, co-pilot, and boom operator who are in charge of controlling the aircraft's refueling arm. Centcom had previously stated that the crash occurred in friendly airspace; however, this is an area of Iraq where pro-Iranian militias operate. Iran's military claimed on state TV that an allied group had targeted the plane with a missile.

Read More: Hegseth faces increasing concerns regarding the possibility of US involvement in the strike on an Iranian school.

 The official US military death toll in the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, which began a fortnight ago, is now 11 thanks to the crash on Thursday. During the current conflict, the US military has now lost at least four aircraft. According to officials, three F-15s were shot down over Kuwait earlier this month in "an apparent friendly fire incident." The six crew members were able to safely exit the aircraft. In the 1950s and early 1960s, Boeing produced the KC-135 Stratotanker for the US military. It has served as a foundation for the air refueling fleet of the US military and has enabled combat aircraft to complete longer missions without having to land.

targeting Iranian infrastructure across Tehran (Image: BBC)

Separately, the Israeli military announced on Friday that it had launched a new "wide-scale wave of strikes" against Iranian infrastructure in all of Tehran. Later, there were reports of explosions in and around the Iranian capital. In an effort to lessen the financial impact of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, the United States eased sanctions on other nations that purchased Russian oil and petroleum that was already loaded onto ships at sea. On Thursday, oil prices rose above $100 a barrel for the second time, while stock markets fell as three more cargo ships were attacked in the Gulf and Iran's new supreme leader pledged to keep blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping lane. Since the price of oil has gone up, US President Donald Trump has said that the war could end "very soon" and that the US could "go further." A French soldier, identified as Staff Sgt. Arnaud Frion, was killed and six others were injured yesterday at a Kurdish military base in northern Iraq, according to an announcement made by the French military on Friday. It stated that the soldiers were there to instruct Iraqi troops.

Source: BBC