Illustrative image. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Matthew Seefeldt)
The United States Central Command acknowledged on March 12 that a KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling tanker aircraft over Iraq.
In a statement, the command said that the incident occurred in “friendly airspace” during Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. military’s codename for the ongoing attack with Israel against Iran.
“Rescue efforts are ongoing. Two aircraft were involved in the incident. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely,” CENTCOM added, stressing that “this was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.”
The KC-135, developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, typically has a crew of three: a pilot, a co-pilot, and a boom operator. Some missions require the addition of a navigator. Still, it was reported that six service members were aboard the aircraft when it crashed.
The incident came following serious escalation in Iraq, which saw the U.S. launching strikes against Iran-backed armed factions in the country. The factions, unified within the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), have been launching strikes against U.S. bases inside Iraq and in nearby countries in response to the war on Iran, and they are known to be armed with advanced air defense systems.
In the morning, at least 30 people were killed and dozens injured in a series of strikes at the headquarters of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) — a government-recognized force that include many of the same factions found in the IRI — in Anbar in the west of the country.
Shafaq News, citing a security source, said that the strikes targeted at least three sites of the PMF’s 19th Brigade in the town of Akashat.
Later on in the day, the same news agency reported that one member from the PMF was killed and three others were wounded after a series of strikes on Camp Saker to the south of the capital, Baghdad. Videos posted to social networks showed A-10 Thunderbolt II close air support jets and Low-cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones attacking the camp, which confirmed that the U.S. was behind the strike.
Just before CENTCOM announced losing the tanker, at least six French soldiers were wounded in a drone attack targeting a joint Peshmerga-French base in the Makhmour area in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, according to a statement Erbil Governor Omed Koshnaw.
Videos that surfaced online around the same time also suggest that a French military helicopter was destroyed as a result of the attack, which was blamed on the IRI.
Several factions of the IRI warned before the war that they will not remain silent if the U.S. and Israel attacked the Islamic Republic.
The last few days saw the IRI intensifying its attacks, especially against U.S. forces deployed in Kurdistan. The recent developments will likely lead to even more escalation by both sides.
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why is iraq allowing its air space to be used to conduct an illegal war of aggression. do they want their oil installations to be targeted like the other countries of the arabian peninsula.
prayers to the familys of fallen soldiers i’m sure young barron will step up to take one of their places besides his daddy started this unjustified war