Four out of six crew members of the US refueling aircraft that crashed in the Western Iraq has been confirmed dead.
The development comes after Daily Intel Newspaper quoted the US Central Command (Centcom) as saying that rescue operations are under way.
Centcom had earlier noted that neither hostile nor friendly fire were responsible for the incident which involved the KC-135, aircraft, describing the crash as happening over friendly airspace.
Since the outbreak of the US-Israel war with Iran, the latest incident pushes the figure to ten US soldiers that have been confirmed as having been killed in the conflict.
It is also estimated that the US military has now lost at least four aircraft during the current war.
Earlier this month, three F-15s were shot down in “an apparent friendly fire incident” over Kuwait, officials said. All six crew members were able to safely eject.
Boeing manufactured the KC-135 Stratotanker for the US military in the 1950s and early 1960s.
It has been a backbone to the US military’s air refuelling fleet, and allow combat aircraft to carry out longer missions without needing to land.
