Baghdad, Iraq – The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced in an official statement that four of the six crew members aboard the KC-135 refueling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq on Thursday were killed.
This announcement comes amid sharply conflicting accounts, with Washington
attributing the crash to technical causes related to the aircraft involved in the incident.
Meanwhile, Tehran has officially claimed responsibility for shooting down the aircraft using its air defense systems.
Details of the incident and the victims
US Central Command (CENTCOM) explained via its X platform that the incident occurred at 2:00 PM Eastern Time
on March 12, and the affected aircraft was conducting operations at the time.
The refueling aircraft crashed while conducting missions in western Iraq.
The statement confirmed the deaths of four of the six crew members.
Meanwhile, search and rescue efforts continued to determine the fate of the remaining two crew members and recover the rest of the wreckage.
CENTCOM emphasized in its statement that the investigation is ongoing to determine
the precise circumstances of the incident involving the aircraft.
However, it preemptively stated that the crash was not caused by hostile or friendly fire,
a statement seemingly intended to rule out direct military action in the initial stages
of the investigation, particularly regarding the aircraft involved.
The statement also noted the US military’s commitment to notifying the families of the victims.
It confirmed that the identities of the deceased would not be released until 24 hours after their families were notified.
The Iranian narrative: an official adoption of the projection
On the other hand, in an escalatory move, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced early Friday morning its full responsibility for the downing of the military aircraft.
The spokesman for the Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base stated that an American refueling plane, a type of aircraft, was targeted in western Iraq
by advanced air defense systems, confirming its downing and the death of all crew members.
This account partially aligns with the American side’s assertions regarding the incident and the location of the crash, which involved a KC-135 aircraft.
This incident places the region at a new stage of tension. Therefore, questions are now raised about the nature of the weapons used in the attack against the aircraft.
It also raises the question of whether the conflict has escalated into a direct confrontation over Iraqi airspace where aircraft operations are frequent.
While Washington is attempting to portray the incident as a technical malfunction,
the Iranian side insists on presenting it as a successful military operation against the American aircraft.
This could prompt an American response in the coming hours.
