In a tragic development amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, a US military KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday. US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed on Friday that out of the six crew members on board, four have been declared deceased. Rescue operations are still underway to locate the remaining two service members.

According to CENTCOM, the incident involved two aircraft operating in “friendly airspace” during Operation Epic Fury. While one aircraft managed to land safely, the other went down, described by the military as a “loss.” Despite claims from local militia groups in Iraq that the plane was shot down, the US military has officially stated that the crash was not caused by hostile or friendly fire. The investigation into the exact circumstances of the crash is currently ongoing. This marks the fourth US aircraft lost since the regional conflict intensified in late February, further straining the US military’s logistics in the area.