Middle East
US Air Force military aircraft are seen parked on the tarmac of the Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv on February 25, 2026. Photo: AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Four US service members were confirmed dead after an American refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Friday, denying that the incident was caused by “hostile” or “friendly” fire. The statement comes shortly after the Iran-aligned Islamic Resistance of Iraq (IRI) entity alleged it had “downed” the aircraft.
In a statement on X, CENTCOM said, “At approximately 2 p.m. ET on March 12, a U.S. KC‑135 refueling aircraft went down in western Iraq,” adding that “four of the six crew members on board have been confirmed deceased, as rescue efforts continue.”
Importantly, the Command added that “the circumstances of the incident are under investigation,” but affirmed that “the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.”
Earlier in the day, the CENTCOM had reported that it was “aware of the loss of a U.S. KC‑135 refueling aircraft,” noting that “the incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury [against Iran],” and that “two aircraft were involved. One went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely.”
For its part, the Iran-backed Islamic Resistance of Iraq (IRI) on Friday claimed it had “downed” the American aircraft.
In a statement published on its Telegram channel, the entity alleged, “In defense of our country’s sovereignty and airspace,” its forces “shot down a KC‑135 belonging to the American occupation in western Iraq using appropriate weapons.”
Later in the day, the IRI claimed in another statement that its forces had “targeted, with appropriate weapons … a second KC-135 aircraft belonging to the American occupation in western Iraq.” The aircraft’s “crew managed to escape with it after it was hit and made an emergency landing at one of the enemy's airports,” the entity further purported.
The incident comes amid ongoing regional escalation, which began in late February when the US and Israel launched a joint operation against Iran - now in its fourteenth day - targeting security and military installations, as well as government institutions.
Tehran has responded on multiple fronts, stating last Friday that it launched more than 2,000 drones and over 600 missiles targeting US and Israeli positions in the region. The Iranian response also included attacks by groups aligned with the Iran-led ‘Axis of Resistance,’ including armed factions that have recently targeted alleged US assets in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
According to Rudaw tracking, the Kurdistan Region has endured some 280 drone and missile attacks since the start of the Iran war through Friday.
Since the commencement of Operation Epic Fury on February 28, there have been 11 confirmed US service member fatalities. This includes six Army Reserve soldiers killed in a drone strike on an operations center at a civilian port in Kuwait, and a seventh death when an officer succumbed to injuries sustained during a separate attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
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