American tanker plane goes down in Iraq's western region, according to US armed forces

A KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft from the US military crashed in western Iraq, while another plane involved in the incident landed safely, according to a statement released by the US military on Thursday.

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The US Central Command, responsible for American forces in the Middle East, stated that the crash was not a result of hostile or friendly fire, with one aircraft going down in western Iraq and the second landing safely.

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A statement from Iran's military, carried by state TV, claimed that an allied group in Iraq had downed the aircraft with a missile, resulting in the death of all crew members.

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The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose alliance of Iran-backed Iraqi factions, took credit for downing a KC-135 and also claimed to have targeted another plane that managed to escape.

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Since the start of the Middle East war, the alliance has been claiming daily attacks on US interests in Iraq and across the region, although it rarely discloses the specific targets of these attacks.

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

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KC-135s, which have been in operation for over 60 years, typically have a crew of three, consisting of a pilot, copilot, and a boom operator responsible for refueling other aircraft, according to the US Air Force.

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However, some KC-135 missions may require a navigator, and the aircraft is capable of carrying up to 37 passengers, as stated in an Air Force factsheet.

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Early in the war, which began on February 28, Kuwaiti forces mistakenly downed three American F-15E fighters, but all six crew members were able to eject safely, according to CENTCOM.

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This incident occurred during combat that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones, as reported by the military command at the time.