WASHINGTON, March 13 (Reuters) – Four of the six crew members aboard a U.S. military aircraft that crashed in western Iraq are confirmed to have been killed, the U.S. military said on Friday, as rescue efforts continued for the remaining two.
A U.S. military refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday, in an incident the military said involved another aircraft but was not the result of hostile or friendly fire.
The deaths add to the seven U.S. service members who have already been killed as part of U.S. operations against Iran.
“The circumstances of the incident are under investigation. However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” a statement from U.S. Central Command said.
The United States has deployed a large number of aircraft into the Middle East to take part in operations against Iran and the incident highlights the risk of not just operations, but of refueling aircraft in the air.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed armed factions, claimed responsibility for downing the U.S. military refueling aircraft.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that as many as 150 U.S. troops have been wounded in the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. News of the crash comes the same day two U.S. sailors were injured after the USS Gerald Ford suffered a non-combat-related fire on board.
(Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Toby Chopra)
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