OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
8:20 AM – Thursday, March 12, 2026
All six U.S. service members on board a refueling aircraft have been confirmed dead after the U.S. KC-135 Stratotanker crashed in western Iraq, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
The aircraft went down at about 2 p.m. ET on Thursday afternoon, CENTCOM said. In a statement to X, it explained that “the incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury,” the U.S.’s title for its joint campaign with Israel against Iran to weaken its military and nuclear capabilities and liberate its people.
The command said another aircraft was entangled in the incident, but landed safely, and added that no hostile or friendly fire was involved.
Overnight and early on Friday, CENTCOM confirmed four personnel were deceased, though rescue efforts continued to recover the other two on board.
Nearly five hours later, all six crew members were confirmed to have lost their lives in the accident. None would be identified until a day after their loved ones were notified of their passing.
“The circumstances of the incident are under investigation. However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” CENTCOM stated. “The identities of the service members are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified.”
The crash brings the death toll for U.S. military personnel involved in Operation Epic Fury to 13. Seven others passed due to Iran’s retaliatory attacks on U.S. military facilities and embassies in countries across the Middle East.
Six were killed in Kuwait in a drone strike in the Shuaiba port: Captain Cody A. Khork, 35, Sergeant First Class (SFC) Nicole M. Amor, 39, Sergeant Declan J. Coady, 20, SFC Noah L Tietjens, 42, Major Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan, 54.
Army Sergeant Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of the Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC), passed away days later from wounds sustained in an Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
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