Six US soldiers killed in tanker incident; probe crashes under

A KC-135 tanker crashed in western Iraq on Thursday, bringing the number of U.S. troops killed in operations against Iran to at least 13. The second aircraft involved in the operation landed safely.

The Pentagon said the six people killed in the crash were: John Klingner, 33, of Auburn, Alabama; Ariana Savino, 31, of Covington, Washington; Ashley Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Kentucky; Seth Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Indiana; Curtis Angst, 30 Tyler Simmons, 28, of Wilmington, Ohio; and Tyler Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio. Follow the latest developments in conflicts in the Middle East

The first three are members of the U.S. Air Force, and the last three are stationed in the U.S. Air National Guard.

Pentagon officials said the crash remained under investigation, but U.S. Central Command previously said “the loss of the aircraft was not due to enemy fire or friendly fire.”

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The Islamic Resistance Movement of Iraq, a loose alliance of Iranian-backed Iraqi factions, claimed to have shot down a KC-135. They also said they targeted another fleeing plane.

Since the outbreak of the war in the Middle East, the alliance has claimed daily attacks on U.S. interests in Iraq and across the region.

The KC-135 crash was at least the fourth U.S. military aircraft lost during the war, after three F-15s were shot down by friendly fire over Kuwait.

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The KC-135 aircraft, which have been operating for more than 60 years, typically have a crew of three — a pilot, a co-pilot and a person who operates the boom that refuels other aircraft, according to the Air Force.

But an Air Force fact sheet said some KC-135 missions require a navigator and that the aircraft can carry up to 37 passengers.

According to Central Command, Kuwaiti forces mistakenly shot down three U.S. F-15E fighter jets early in the war that began on February 28, but all six crew members successfully ejected.

The military command said at the time that the incident occurred during fighting and included “attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles and drones.”