Four of the six crew members of a US tanker plane that crashed yesterday in western Iraq have died, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement today, quoted by Reuters.
They added that efforts to rescue the remaining two crew members are continuing.
CENTCOM said that two planes participated in the mission, one of which landed safely and the second "crashed in western Iraq".
"The circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated. "It was not caused by enemy fire or fire from allied forces," the statement said.
CENTCOM did not provide further details about the incident.
The "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" group, which unites Iranian-backed armed factions, claimed responsibility for shooting down the U.S. military tanker plane in western Iraq last night, Reuters reported.
In a statement, the pro-Iranian armed group said it shot down the U.S. KC-135 refueling plane in defense of Iraq's sovereignty and airspace.