Two US Aircraft Down in Iraq; America Denies Iranian Missile Strike as Usual, Yet…

US Central Command announced the loss of a refuelling aircraft in western Iraq and stated that the incident was not caused by enemy fire or friendly fire. Rescue efforts remain ongoing.

In a statement published on platform X on Thursday, 12 March 2026, US Central Command stated that the aircraft went down whilst flying in “friendly airspace” during Operation Epic Fury with a KC-135 Xtra refuelling aircraft.

The command explained that the incident involved two aircraft, one of which crashed in western Iraq, whilst the other landed safely.

“U.S. Central Command is aware of the loss of a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft. The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing. Two aircraft were involved in the incident. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely. This was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, according to Al Jazeera’s breaking news on Friday, 13 March 2026, Iran’s military claimed that two US aircraft were successfully shot down through missile strikes.