US Air Force Crew Dies in Iraq Crash, Mission Continues

0:00On March 16th, six U.S. Air Force crew members died last Thursday when their KC-135 refueling plane crashed in Iraq during a combat mission. Among them were two women, 31-year-old Captain Ariana Savino from Washington State and 34-year-old technical sergeant Ashley Pruitt. From Bard's town Kentucky, the other four were major John Kihner, Captain Seth Kovall, Captain Curtis Enkst, and technical sergeant Tyler Simmons. The plane was flying in friendly airspace when the incident happened, and it involved the second U.S. refueling aircraft that landed safely afterward. An Iranian group first claimed responsibility, but U.S. officials maintained it was an accident with no enemy fire involved. Defense Secretary Pete Higgseth called the crew American heroes during a Sunday night statement. Family members remembered Savino as a standout airman and Pruitt as a devoted mother to her three-year-old daughter, noting the deep loss fell by. Loved ones and fellow service members.

1:02This crash brings the U.S. military death toll in the Iran conflict to 13, with at least four aircraft lost so far. The KC-135 is crucial for keeping fighter jets and bombers airborne so the incident has hampered aerial operations. Meanwhile, 10-F-35, a fighter jets arrive at a base in the UK this weekend, heading to the Middle East despite President Trump's recent. Comments that the war would end soon, signaling the mission continues.