US military refueling aircraft KC-135 crashes in Iraq amid Iran war, rescue efforts underway — what we know so far

A US military refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday local time, US Central Command said, adding that rescue efforts were underway.

The incident involved two aircraft — the KC-135, which crashed, and another unidentified aircraft, which "landed safely".

"US Central Command is aware of the loss of a US KC-135 refueling aircraft. The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing," the CENTCOM statement said.

"This was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire," clarified CENTCOM.

This is the fourth US aircraft downed since the US and Israel started carrying out joint strikes against Iran on 28 February, marking the start of Operation Epic Fury.

Earlier this month, three US Air Force jets were mistakenly shot down in a “friendly fire” incident by Kuwait air defenses. All crew members in those jets ejected safely.

Meanwhile, seven US troops have been killed in the conflict in the US-Israeli war on Iran, while Reuters reported that as many as 150 US troops had been wounded as of Tuesday.

The death toll in Iran is more than 1,300, according to the country’s UN ambassador.

(This is a developing story. Check back for updates)