U.S. military refuelling aircraft crashes in Iraq; four crew members confirmed dead, two missing

A United States military refuelling aircraft crashed in Iraq during ongoing U.S. military operations linked to tensions with Iran, leaving four crew members dead and two others missing, according to the U.S. military.

The aircraft was identified as a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker used for aerial refuelling. U.S. officials said the aircraft was carrying a crew of six at the time of the crash.

The U.S. military confirmed that the bodies of four crew members have been recovered, while search operations are continuing for the remaining two. Officials did not immediately release the names of the crew members pending family notification.

According to United States Central Command, two aircraft were involved in the incident. One aircraft landed safely, while the second crashed in Iraq. The cause of the crash has not yet been publicly confirmed and an investigation is ongoing.

The incident is the fourth publicly acknowledged crash involving U.S. military aircraft during operations connected to the conflict with Iran. Reports last week indicated that three U.S. fighter jets were lost after being mistakenly fired upon by forces in Kuwait.