All six crew members confirmed dead after US military plane crash in Iraq

Number of American troops to be killed in Iran war after incident in western desert now stands at 13

All six crew members onboard a US military aircraft that crashed in western Iraq were killed, the US military has said.

The KC-135 military refuelling plane crashed in western Iraq on Thursday, in an incident the military said involved another aircraft but was not the result of hostile or friendly fire.

Iraq’s western desert is a vast expanse of largely empty rocky plains but is also where many Iran-aligned Shia militia have bases. It has been the site of repeated Israeli and US airstrikes.

Iraq’s western desert is a vast expanse of largely empty rocky plains but is also where many Iran-aligned Shia militia have bases and has been the site of repeated Israeli and US airstrikes.