{"id":2579479,"date":"2026-03-13T10:49:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T14:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/four-american-service-members-killed-in-operation-epic-fury-mishap\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T10:50:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T14:50:19","slug":"four-american-service-members-killed-in-operation-epic-fury-mishap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/four-american-service-members-killed-in-operation-epic-fury-mishap\/","title":{"rendered":"Four American Service Members Killed in Operation Epic Fury Mishap"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffour-american-service-members-killed-in-operation-epic-fury-mishap%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2579479&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Four American service members died in a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >mid-air collision<\/a> involving KC-135 tanker aircraft in western Iraq on March 12. Two KC-135s where involved: one aircraft went down in western iraq,while the second landed in Tel Aviv after declaring an emergency. U.S. Central Command said the incident is under investigation and the identities of the deceased would be released after next of kin notifications. Officials emphasized the loss was not due to unfriendly or friendly fire and occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury,with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/video-captures-horrific-moment-miami-apartment-building-collapsed-leaving-dozens-buried\/\" title=\"Video Captures Horrific Moment Miami Apartment Building Collapsed Leaving Dozens Buried\">rescue efforts ongoing<\/a> at the time. Some reports say the overall death toll in Operation Epic Fury has risen to 11, and the U.S. has now lost four aircraft in the broader conflict with Iran; prior incidents included three F-15E fighters shot down by Kuwait\u2019s air defenses, with no U.S. fatalities in that event. The article also notes references to past KC-135 crashes, including a 2013 incident in Kyrgyzstan.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Four American service members died Thursday in an accident that involved what is believed to be a mid-air collision involving KC-135 tankers.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;At approximately 2 pm ET on March 12, a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft went down in western Iraq. Four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/passenger-trains-collide-killing-56-in-pakistan\/\" title=\"Passenger trains collide, killing 56 in Pakistan\">rescue efforts continue<\/a>,&rdquo; according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CENTCOM\/status\/2032389087491985700\">post<\/a> on X from U.S. Central Command.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The circumstances of the incident are under investigation,&rdquo; the post said.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">A better look at the partially sliced-off tail of the USAF KC-135 involved in the mid-air collision over Iraq yesterday, back on the ground in Tel Aviv. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Vll73nrr8G\">pic.twitter.com\/Vll73nrr8G<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Osinttechnical\/status\/2032366797001765274?\">March 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire. The identities of the service members are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Another <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CENTCOM\/status\/2032211125882745265\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post<\/a> noted that &ldquo;the incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Two aircraft were involved in the incident. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>As noted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/iran-war-kc-135-us-plane-crash-iraq-crew-deaths-confirmed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CBS News<\/a>, the American death toll from Operation Epic Fury has now reached 11.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">A photo reportedly shows one of the USAF KC 135 tankers involved in today&rsquo;s mid air collision over Iraq after it landed in Tel Aviv, Israel, with nearly half of its vertical stabilizer torn away.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Osinttechnical?\">@Osinttechnical<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Xoc3Yqz3zb\">pic.twitter.com\/Xoc3Yqz3zb<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Open Source Intel (@Osint613) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Osint613\/status\/2032259201720815707?\">March 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The network said it was told by U.S. officials that the incident may have been a mid-air collision.<\/p>\n<p>One of the tankers involved in the incident went down near the border between Iraq and Jordan.<\/p>\n<p>The second tanker landed in Tel Aviv on Thursday after declaring an emergency.<\/p>\n<p>The military said that it would release the names of those killed after the families have been notified.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/12\/world\/middleeast\/us-refueling-plane-crash-iraq.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The New York Times<\/a>, the last KC-135 tanker crash took place in 2013 during the conflict in Afghanistan when a tanker crashed after takeoff in Kyrgyzstan, killing three people.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. has now lost four aircraft in the conflict with Iran.<\/p>\n<p>Previously, three Air Force F-15E fighters were shot down by Kuwait&rsquo;s air defenses.<\/p>\n<p>No U.S. service members were lost in that incident.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here is a paraphrase of the key information about the KC-135 incident:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Four U.S. service members died in what is believed to be a mid-air collision between KC-135 tankers. The crash occurred around 2 p.m. ET on March 12 in western Iraq, and four of the six crew members on board were confirmed dead as rescue efforts continued. The incident is under investigation.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; A photo shows the partially torn tail of the USAF KC-135 after the incident, which occurred during operations in the region, with the aircraft later on the ground in Tel Aviv.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Officials said the loss was not due to hostile or friendly fire, and the identities of the deceased will be withheld for 24 hours after next of kin notification.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Reports indicate two aircraft were involved: one went down in western Iraq, and the other landed safely in Tel Aviv after declaring an emergency. CBS News notes the broader death toll in Operation Epic Fury has reached 11.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; A photo circulating online reportedly shows one tanker with significant damage to its vertical stabilizer. U.S. officials reportedly told outlets that the incident may have been a mid-air collision.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; One tanker went down near the Iraq-Jordan border, while the second landed in Tel Aviv. Names will be released after families are notified. The last KC-135 crash occurred in 2013 in Kyrgyzstan, during the Afghanistan conflict. The U.S. has now lost four aircraft in the current tensions with Iran; previously, three F-15E fighters were shot down by Kuwait\u2019s air defenses, with no U.S. casualties in that incident<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2579480,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-03-13T092241.694.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[13980,75730,75688,32250,33489],"class_list":["post-2579479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-casualties","tag-military-mishap","tag-operation-epic-fury-2","tag-service-members","tag-us-military"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-03-13T092241.694.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2579479"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579479\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2579483,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579479\/revisions\/2579483"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2579480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2579479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2579479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2579479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}