4 crew members confirmed dead after U.S. refueling plane crash in Iraq

Four of the six crew members aboard a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft that went down in western Iraq have been confirmed dead, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). The two other crew members remain unaccounted for.

CENTCOM said that the aircraft went down at about 2 p.m. ET on Thursday. The command said the incident remains under investigation, but that the loss of the aircraft was not caused by hostile fire or friendly fire.

The military did not release the identities of the dead, saying their names are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified.

CENTCOM had said on Thursday that two aircraft were involved in the incident, with one going down in western Iraq while the second landed safely. No further details were immediately released about how the two aircraft were involved.

CBS News reported that the aircraft went down near Turaibil, along Iraq’s border with Jordan, citing an Iraqi intelligence source. The outlet also reported that flight-tracking service Flightradar24 showed a second KC-135 tanker declaring an emergency before landing in Tel Aviv.

The KC-135 is a military refueling aircraft used to extend the range and endurance of U.S. and allied warplanes by transferring fuel in flight. It is part of the U.S. Air Force fleet.

At least 11 U.S. personnel have now been killed in operations related to the ongoing conflict with Iran, while another service member died in a health-related incident.