The US military has confirmed the deaths of all six crew members aboard a KC-135 Stratotanker that went down in western Iraq during a mid-air collision on March 12, the latest American loss in the ongoing Operation Epic Fury.
The aircraft was lost while flying over friendly airspace on a refuelling mission, Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement. Four bodies were recovered earlier, with the remaining two reclassified from missing to confirmed deceased.
“The circumstances of the incident are under investigation. However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” CENTCOM stated. “The identities of the service members are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified.”
Flags at US bases across the theatre have been lowered to half-staff. The second aircraft involved in the collision landed safely.
Iranian-aligned sources claimed the tanker was shot down by air defence systems, but CENTCOM has not addressed those assertions. The incident brings the total American service members killed since the escalation began on February 28 to 13.
The KC-135 Stratotanker serves as the backbone of US air operations in the Middle East, providing mid-air refuelling for combat jets and drones.
