CENTCOM: Six killed after US refueling tanker aircraft crashes in Iraq
The KC-135 is the fourth American military aircraft downed since the war against Iran began.
WASHINGTON — Six US military personnel were killed when a US Air Force KC-135 refueling aircraft went down in Iraq following a collision, the US military announced early on Friday.
The Pentagon's headquarters for the Middle East acknowledged late on Thursday the loss of a US Air Force KC-135 refueling aircraft that it said "went down" over Iraq after a mid-air collision.
Speaking at a press conference Friday, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said that the downing of a KC-135 was not caused by hostile or friendly fire.
The downing of the KC-135, which can carry more than 30,000 gallons of fuel cargo, "occurred in friendly airspace" amid the US bombing campaign against Iran, US Central Command said in a press release.
