US military service members have been killed in the crash of a refueling plane, bringing the deaths in the Iran conflict to at least 11. US Central Command said that the crash was not a result of friendly or enemy fire.
Central Command posted to X, "At approximately 2 pm ET on March 12, a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft went down in western Iraq. Four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue. The circumstances of the incident are under investigation."
"However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire. The identities of the service members are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified," Central Command added.
Two planes were involved in the crash that took place. The other one was able to land safely. As per US military protocol, the Pentagon is withholding the identities of the soldiers until 24 hours after their families have been notified.
The location of the crash took place on the western edge of Iraq. The conditions of the other two members who were on board the plane during the incident were not immediately disclosed. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which is a coalitional group of Iran-backed forces in Iraq, claimed responsibly in taking down the aircraft “in defense of our country’s sovereignty and airspace.”
There have been at least 11 Americans who have died since the launch of Operation Epic Fury on February 28. Six lives were taken by an Iranian drone strike on American military base in Kuwait on February 28.
Pete Hegseth said of the troops that were killed in the plane crash, "War is hell, war is chaos. And as we saw yesterday with the tragic crash of our KC-135 tanker, bad things can happen. American heroes, all of them. And as I have with all of them, as we have, we will greet those heroes at Dover and their sacrifice will only recommit us to the resolve of this mission. But war in this context and in pursuit of peace is necessary."
On Friday, Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Iran no longer has air defenses or a navy. "Iran has no air defenses. Iran has no Air Force. Iran has no Navy. Their missiles, their missile launchers, and drones—are being destroyed or shot out of the sky. Their missiles volume is down 90 percent. Their One-way Attack drones yesterday are down 95 percent."
"We are on plan to defeat, destroy, disable all of their meaningful military capabilities. At a pace the world has never seen before," Hegseth added.
Hegseth also touched on the topic of the strait of Hormuz when asked about the situation by a reporter. The strait is a key waterway for trade in the Middle East and Iran has tried to block it off.
Regarding the strait, Hegseth said, "We're actually closing in on grabbing hold of and controlling what objectives we want to achieve and how we want to achieve them. It's called shaping operations and setting the conditions. Foolish political leaders and foolish military leaders of the past will hang an exact deadline on it, or here's exactly when we'll do what we're gonna do, or here's how long it's gonna take us."
Central Command posted to X, "At approximately 2 pm ET on March 12, a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft went down in western Iraq. Four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue. The circumstances of the incident are under investigation."
"However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire. The identities of the service members are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified," Central Command added.
Two planes were involved in the crash that took place. The other one was able to land safely. As per US military protocol, the Pentagon is withholding the identities of the soldiers until 24 hours after their families have been notified.
The location of the crash took place on the western edge of Iraq. The conditions of the other two members who were on board the plane during the incident were not immediately disclosed. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which is a coalitional group of Iran-backed forces in Iraq, claimed responsibly in taking down the aircraft “in defense of our country’s sovereignty and airspace.”
There have been at least 11 Americans who have died since the launch of Operation Epic Fury on February 28. Six lives were taken by an Iranian drone strike on American military base in Kuwait on February 28.
Pete Hegseth said of the troops that were killed in the plane crash, "War is hell, war is chaos. And as we saw yesterday with the tragic crash of our KC-135 tanker, bad things can happen. American heroes, all of them. And as I have with all of them, as we have, we will greet those heroes at Dover and their sacrifice will only recommit us to the resolve of this mission. But war in this context and in pursuit of peace is necessary."
On Friday, Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Iran no longer has air defenses or a navy. "Iran has no air defenses. Iran has no Air Force. Iran has no Navy. Their missiles, their missile launchers, and drones—are being destroyed or shot out of the sky. Their missiles volume is down 90 percent. Their One-way Attack drones yesterday are down 95 percent."
"We are on plan to defeat, destroy, disable all of their meaningful military capabilities. At a pace the world has never seen before," Hegseth added.
Hegseth also touched on the topic of the strait of Hormuz when asked about the situation by a reporter. The strait is a key waterway for trade in the Middle East and Iran has tried to block it off.
Regarding the strait, Hegseth said, "We're actually closing in on grabbing hold of and controlling what objectives we want to achieve and how we want to achieve them. It's called shaping operations and setting the conditions. Foolish political leaders and foolish military leaders of the past will hang an exact deadline on it, or here's exactly when we'll do what we're gonna do, or here's how long it's gonna take us."
