U.S. military jet goes down over Iraq; incident not attributed to hostile fire

By Sarah Roderick-Fitch
The Center Square

A U.S. Air Force refueling jet involved in Operation Epic Fury has gone down over Iraq, according to U.S. Central Command.

The KC-135 was flying over “friendly airspace” during the incident involving another aircraft, which CENTCOM claims wasn’t attributed to hostile or friendly fire. The military command said the second aircraft landed safely following the incident in western Iraq.

As of early Thursday evening, CENTCOM said, “rescue efforts are ongoing.” It remains unclear how many crew members were onboard at the time of the incident.

CBS News reported 19 injured U.S. service members were medically evacuated from Saudi Arabia to Germany, including two injured during a drone explosion.

Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesman, released a statement Tuesday afternoon confirming reports that up to 150 U.S. service members have been injured during the conflict.

“Since the start of Operation Epic Fury, approximately 140 service members have been wounded over 10 days of sustained attacks. The vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and 108 service members have already returned to duty. Eight service members remain listed as severely injured and are receiving the highest level of medical care,” Parnell said.

It’s unclear whether the 19 injured are included in the previously reported group.

These latest incidents come as the joint U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran have continued for nearly two weeks, with President Donald Trump taking a victory lap during an event on Wednesday afternoon.

CENTCOM says approximately 6,000 targets in Iran have been struck and over 90 Iranian vessels have been damaged or destroyed since Feb. 28.

Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, delivered a video statement Wednesday updating the status of military efforts in the region.

“U.S. forces continue delivering devastating combat power against the Iranian regime. I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating. U.S. combat power is building. Iranian combat power is declining, and we remain centered on very clear military objectives in eliminating Iran’s ability to project power against Americans and against its neighbors. Every day, we’re striking hard at Iranian ballistic missiles and drones,” said Cooper.

The admiral claimed ballistic missile and drone attacks from the Islamic Republic have “dropped drastically.” However, he warns that Iran continues to target civilians in the region as well as “hiding behind their own people as they launch attacks.”

As of Thursday, seven U.S. service members have been killed since the operation began, during Iranian attacks on Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are scheduled to hold a press conference Friday morning.