'No hostile or friendly fire': US refueling aircraft crashes in western Iraq; rescue operations on

A US refueling aircraft with at least 5 on board crashed in western Iraq while a second plane involved in the incident landed safely, US military informed on Friday. The casualties remain unclear currently.

It further clarified that the crash was not a result of any hostile or friendly fire.




"One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely. This was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire," US Central Command, which is responsible for American forces in the Middle East, said in a statement.

The KC-135 tanker marks at least the fourth US military aircraft lost in the Middle East conflict, after three F-15E fighter jets were earlier shot down in a friendly-fire incident over Kuwait.

The KC-135, a refuelling aircraft that has been in service for more than six decades, typically operates with a three-person crew, a pilot, a co-pilot and a boom operator responsible for refuelling other aircraft, according to the US Air Force.

Some missions also require a navigator, and the aircraft is capable of carrying up to 37 passengers, an Air Force factsheet says.

Earlier in the conflict, which began on February 28, Kuwaiti forces mistakenly shot down three American F-15E fighter jets, though all six crew members ejected safely, according to US Central Command. The incident took place amid active combat involving attacks by Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles and drones, the command said at the time.