Four American service members were confirmed dead after a U.S. military refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday while participating in operations connected to the war with Iran, according to the U.S. military.

U.S. Central Command announced early Friday in a post on X that the KC-135 aircraft went down at around 2 p.m. Eastern Time in western Iraq. Officials confirmed that four crew members were killed in the crash. The command did not specify the condition of the remaining two crew members, noting only that “rescue efforts continue.”

“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.

Earlier updates from the military indicated that two aircraft had been involved in the incident, with the second plane managing to land safely.

In keeping with standard military procedure, the names of those who died have not yet been released. Officials said their identities will be made public only after their families have been notified and at least 24 hours have passed.

The crash raises the number of U.S. service members killed since the conflict began on Feb. 28 to ten. That was the date when American forces joined Israel in striking Iranian military targets and leadership figures. In addition, one more service member died during the same period from a medical condition.

In a separate incident last week, Kuwaiti forces accidentally shot down three American fighter jets. None of the personnel aboard those aircraft were killed.

The KC-135 Stratotanker involved in Thursday’s crash is a long-serving aerial refueling aircraft used extensively by the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps for more than six decades. Each plane carries a price tag of nearly $40 million.

According to information published on the Air Force website, the KC-135 can also be configured for medical evacuation missions. While the aircraft typically operates with a crew of three, that number can increase to a standard crew of five when it is outfitted for medical transport duties.

{Matzav.com}