https://www.cbsnews.com/news/iran-wa...ths-confirmed/
All 6 crew members killed in crash of American KC-135 refueling aircraft in Iraq, U.S. military confirms
Updated on: March 13, 2026 / 12:02 PM EDT / CBS News
The U.S. military's Central Command confirmed Friday that all six U.S. service members were killed the previous day when an aerial refueling aircraft taking part in operations against Iran crashed in 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," CENTCOM said in its statement, shared on social media.
It said the identities of the service members killed in the crash would be withheld until 24 hours after their families were notified. The crash brings the total number of U.S. service members killed since the U.S. and Israel launched the war with Iran on Feb. 28 to 13, including six forces killed in an Iranian strike on Kuwait and one killed in Saudi Arabia.
U.S. officials have told CBS News they believe the incident may have involved a mid-air collision, but they were still investigating.