The United States Central Command has confirmed that the remaining two crew members of a U.S. aerial refueling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq have also died. CENTCOM had earlier confirmed the deaths of four out of the six crew members aboard the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. In its latest statement, however, the command said that all six crew members were killed in the incident. According to CENTCOM, the aircraft was flying in “friendly airspace” during an operation known as Epic Wrath when it was lost. The command added that investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing, but current evidence indicates the aircraft did not go down as a result of enemy fire or friendly fire. Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has claimed responsibility for bringing down the aircraft.
