TCT- News desk March 12 (Reuters) –
A KC-135, U.S. military refueling aircraft reportedly crashed in western Iraq on Thursday. According to U.S. Central Command ​the crash of the aircraft was not the result of hostile or ‌friendly fire.
In a statement, U.S. Central Command said another aircraft was also in the skies carrying out ​rescue efforts, and landed safely after the U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft went down.
“The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury,” ​the CentCom statement said. An U.S. ​official, who did not want to be identified, said, the other aircraft involved in the incident was also a KC-135 and the one that crashed had as many as six service members on ​board.
Meanwhile the Islamic Resistance group in Iraq, an umbrella organization-backed by the IRGC, claimed ​responsibility for downing the U.S. military refueling aircraft.

The spokesman for the Central Headquarters of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) of Iran stated on said that the US military refueling plane was shot down by a missile fired by resistance groups in western Iraq. All of its crew were killed. Six service members were aboard the downed tanker.

The Public Relations Department of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) also said in a statement that the air defense systems of the Resistance Front successfully shot down a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker tanker while it was refueling an aggressor fighter jet, killing six of its crew members.