A US Air Force F-22 Raptor, based out of Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, flies alongside a KC-135 Stratotanker during an aerial refueling mission above an undisclosed location, in this undated handout picture released by US Air Force on July 29, 2019. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
Four of the six crew members aboard a US military aircraft that crashed in western Iraq are confirmed to have been killed, the US military said on Friday, as rescue efforts continued for the remaining two.
Four Confirmed Deceased in Loss of U.S. KC-135 Over Iraq
TAMPA, Fla. – At approximately 2 pm ET on March 12, a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft went down in western Iraq. Four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue.
The…
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 13, 2026
A US military refuelling 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 US service members who have already been killed as part of US operations against Iran which began on February 28.
“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 US Central Command said.
A US official told Reuters that the second aircraft involved in the crash, which landed safely, was also a military refuelling aircraft known as the KC-135.
Contrary to the US Central Command’s statement that a KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq due to “an apparent accident,” Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters confirmed that the aircraft was deliberately targeted and shot down over western Iraq, Al Mayadeen English posted on X.
Contrary to #CENTCOM‘s claims that the KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in Iraq in “an apparent accident,” the spokesperson for #Iran‘s Khatam al-Anbiya Central headquarters confirmed that the aircraft was successfully targeted and shot down over western Iraq by air defense… pic.twitter.com/uRJOIDDfdB
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) March 12, 2026
According to the spokesperson, Iran’s air defence systems were responsible for the strike, resulting in the deaths of all crew members aboard the aircraft.
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 refuelling aircraft in the air.
The KC-135, built by Boeing in the 1950s and early 1960s, has served as the backbone of the US military’s air refuelling fleet and is critical to allowing aircraft to carry out missions without having to land.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed armed factions, claimed responsibility for downing the US military refuelling aircraft.
Reuters reported on Tuesday that as many as 150 US troops have been wounded in the US-Israeli war on Iran. News of the crash comes the same day two US sailors were injured after the USS Gerald Ford suffered a non-combat-related fire on board.
The first seven US troops were killed when a drone slammed into a US military facility in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait.
President Donald Trump and other senior officials have warned the Iran conflict will result in more US military deaths as Tehran retaliates against US and Israeli strikes.
