A U.S. military refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday, in an incident U.S. Central Command said involved another aircraft but was not the result of hostile or friendly fire. ADVERTISEMENTIn a statement, U.S. Central Command said it was carrying out rescue efforts after the U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft went down. "The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury," the statement said, using the military name of the U.S. operation against Iran. ‌The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, ​an ​umbrella group of ⁠Iran-backed ​armed factions, claimed responsibility for downing the U.S. military refueling aircraft. The group said in a statement it had shot down the KC-135 aircraft "in defense of our country's sovereignty and airspace".

Source: The Telegraph March 13, 2026 02:15 UTC