Western iraq: Four out of the six crew members on board a US Air Force refueling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq have been confirmed dead, the US military said Friday.

According to Anadolu Agency, the KC-135 aircraft went down in western Iraq at approximately 2 pm US Eastern Time (1800GMT) on Thursday, as reported by the US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees military operations in the Mideast and parts of Asia. In a statement, CENTCOM shared, "Four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue."

The military has initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. However, the statement indicated that the crash was not a result of hostile or friendly fire.

The identities of the deceased service members are being withheld until at least 24 hours after their next of kin have been notified, as noted in the statement. CENTCOM also mentioned earlier that two aircraft were involved in the incident, with one refueling aircraft going down in western Iraq, while a second tanker landed safely.