The United States (U.S) Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed Friday that six service crew members have been confirmed dead in a military plane crash in Iraq after an aerial incident involving two refueling tankers.
The military plane crash in Iraq, which occurred on Thursday afternoon, brings the total American military fatalities to 13 since the current conflict with Iran began on February 28, 2026.
According to military officials, two KC-135 Stratotankers were involved in an unspecified incident in “friendly airspace” over western Iraq.
While one aircraft managed to land safely at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel after declaring an emergency, the other went down near the town of Turaibil, close to the Jordanian border.
Of the six crew members on board the downed tanker, search and rescue teams initially recovered four bodies. After an intense search, the remaining two service members were confirmed dead as their bodies were found.
“All six crew members aboard a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft that went down in western Iraq are now confirmed deceased. The aircraft was lost while flying over friendly airspace on March 12 during Operation Epic Fury,” it said in a statement.
“The circumstances of the incident are under investigation. However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” CENTCOM added. “The identities of the service members are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified.”
The KC-135 Stratotanker, which costs almost $40 million each, has been used as a key refueling plane by the U.S Air Force, Marine Corps, and the Navy for more than 60 years.
It can also be used in medical evacuations, according to the Air Force website. Typically the planes have a crew of three, but this expands to a basic crew of five when used for medical purposes.
Reacting also to the military plane crash in Iraq on Friday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said that the incident occurred “over friendly territory in western Iraq” and “while the crew was on a combat mission, and again, was not the result, as CENTCOM has said, was not the result of hostile or friendly fire.”
Caine said that the Air Force and U.S. Central Command would provide updates about the incident and reiterated that four airmen were recovered.
“Please keep these brave Airmen, their families, friends, and units in your thoughts in the coming hours and days, our service members make an incredible sacrifice to go forward and do the things that the nation asks of them,” he said. “It’s a reminder of the true cost of the dedication and commitment of the joint force.”
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that 13 U.S troops have been killed in the conflict, while as many as 150 U.S troops have been wounded. The death toll in Iran is more than 1,300, according to the country’s UN ambassador.
Recall that six of the US service personnel died after an Iranian drone struck an operations centre at a civilian port in Kuwait. They were in the Army Reserve and worked in logistics, keeping troops supplied with food and equipment.
A seventh U. S service member died after being wounded in an attack on the Prince Sultan airbase in Saudi Arabia on 1 March.
Last week, Kuwait mistakenly shot down three U.S. fighter jets but none of the crew members were killed.
