WANA (Mar 13) – A U.S. military aerial refueling aircraft has crashed in western Iraq. United States Central Command stated that a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker went down in western Iraq during a mission called “Epic Fury.”

 

According to the statement, two refueling aircraft were involved in the operation at the time. One aircraft crashed in western Iraq, while the other landed safely. The command added that the incident was not caused by enemy fire or friendly fire and that search-and-rescue operations for the crew are ongoing.

 

A reporter from CBS News reported that the second refueling aircraft was also hit during the mission but managed to land safely in Israel. The reporter noted that the aircraft that crashed had six crew members on board.

 

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Iran’s military engineering command, said the U.S. refueling aircraft was struck by a missile fired by resistance groups in western Iraq, causing it to crash, and all crew members were killed.

 

Some Iraqi social media users also claimed that the American aircraft was targeted by resistance groups, although these claims have not yet been independently verified.

Reacting to the incident, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, referenced an earlier CENTCOM post about the aircraft’s mission and wrote: “What happened just moments later?”

 

He added that American families have the right to know why Donald Trump is sending their sons and daughters to the region to advance what he described as expansionist ambitions linked to Benjamin Neta nyahu.