WASHINGTON — The United States has admitted that one of its aircraft crashed in western Iraq, amid the ongoing US-Israeli war against Iran.A US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker, a refueling aircraft, went down in western Iraq on Thursday, the US military said, adding the incident was “not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.”The statement did not specify whether any US service members were hurt or killed.“The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing,” a release from US Central Command said, using the name the Pentagon has given to US operations against Iran.“Two aircraft were involved in the incident. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely. This was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire.”However, the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” claimed responsibility for shooting down the plane, announcing that it shot down a US Army KC-135 aircraft in western Iraq “with the appropriate weapon”.At least five crew members were aboard the tanker that went down, a US official told CNN. The second aircraft that landed safely was also a KC-135, the official said.The release said more information would become available as “the situation develops” and asked for patience as more details were gathered “to provide clarity for the families of service members.”Before Thursday’s crash, the US military had reported that seven service members had died in the ongoing military campaign. Another 140 have been wounded overall, with Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell counting eight that face severe injuries.A KC-135 flight crew typically includes three to four service members, according to the Air Force: a pilot, a copilot and a boom operator, the person who refuels other aircraft mid-air. Some missions require navigators in the crew as well, an Air Force fact sheet said.The jets can also be configured to carry cargo and medical patients.The Air Force did not say what specific mission the jets involved in Thursday’s incident were performing.The KC-135s are some of the oldest platforms in the US Air Force’s inventory, with the last unit delivered in 1965, according to an Air Force fact sheet.The four-engine jets are based on the Boeing 707 passenger jet, with 376 units on active duty as of last year, according to a US congressional report. They have undergone significant upgrades over the years, including new engines.Thursday’s crash is the latest to befall the US military since it began operations against Iran on February 28.Last week, three F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets were shot down over Kuwait in a mistaken friendly fire incident; all six crew members ejected safely.
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