Washington, 13 March 2026 (dpa/MIA) - The US armed forces said on Friday that four of six crew members died after a refuelling aircraft went down over western Iraq.

"The circumstances of the incident are under investigation. However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire," US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in an updated statement.

Rescue efforts were continuing, it said.

CENTCOM, which is responsible for the region in the Middle East, had reported earlier that two aircraft were involved, with one landing safely while the second one, a US KC-135, "went down in western Iraq."

MIA file photo