A US military refuelling aircraft crashed in western Iraq on Thursday, in an incident US Central Command said involved another aircraft but was not the result of hostile or friendly fire.
It wasn’t immediately clear if there were casualties. A US official, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the developing situation, said the KC-135 aircraft that crashed had at least five crew members aboard.
The US has surged a large number of aircraft into the Middle East to take part in operations against Iran.
In a statement, US Central Command said it was carrying out rescue efforts after the aircraft went down. The second aircraft landed safely.
“The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing,” the statement said, using the name of the US operation against Iran.