Six US soldiers killed as refueling aircraft KC-135 crashes in Iraq

US refueling aircraft KC-135 has gone down in western Iraq, six crew members onboard have been declared dead. The Central Command (CENTCOM) has confirmed the incident; and the rescue efforts are still ongoing. The circumstances of the incident continue to be investigated.

In the statement, the CENTCOM said, “At approximately 2 pm ET on March 12, a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft went down in western Iraq. Four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue.”

“However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” it added.

The identities of the service members have been withheld for 24 hours and will be disclosed only after their families have been notified.

Iran's military said in an earlier statement carried by state TV that an allied group in Iraq had downed the aircraft with a missile, killing all its crew.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which is a loose alliance of Iran-backed Iraqi factions, claimed to have downed a KC-135. They also said they had targeted another plane that escaped.

Since the start of the Middle East war, the alliance has been claiming daily attacks on US interests in Iraq and across the region, but it rarely names its targets.

The KC-135 is at least the fourth US military aircraft lost during the war, after three F-15s were shot down by friendly fire over Kuwait.

KC-135s, which have been in operation for more than 60 years, generally have a crew of three -- a pilot, a copilot and a third who operates the boom used to refuel other aircraft, according to the US Air Force.

(With agency inputs)