An explosion is reported near the U.S. Consulate and the Erbil International Airport area, where a U.S. military base is also located, in Erbil, Iraq, with fire breaking out and thick smoke rising following the blast, on march 12, 2026. [Ahsan Mohammed Ahmed Ahmed - Anadolu Agency]
The US Central Command said a US refuelling aircraft has crashed in western Iraq, stressing that the incident was not caused by hostile fire or friendly fire. It added that rescue efforts are continuing. In a statement released late on Thursday night, the command said the aircraft was a KC-135 tanker. It crashed while flying in “friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury” against Iran.  The statement added that two aircraft were involved in the incident: one crashed in western Iraq, while the other landed safely. Meanwhile, Iranian state television quoted the Khatam al-Anbiya air defence headquarters as saying that a US aircraft had been shot down in western Iraq by missiles fired by resistance factions, killing its crew. Earlier, Iran’s […]

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