By Ian Werther in News — 13 Mar 2026

U.S. KC-135 crashes in western Iraq during Operation Grand Anger; one aircraft lost

A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker crashed in western Iraq during an operation code-named “Operation Grand Anger,” while another KC-135 from the same mission landed safely. U.S. Central Command said there was no indication the crash resulted from enemy fire or misidentification, and added that it would provide further information as the situation develops.

The crash represents at least the fourth U.S. aircraft loss since the war began last month. On February 28, a Kuwaiti misfire in Kuwaiti airspace downed an F-15 fighter; all six crew members aboard the jet escaped unharmed.

On Monday 14th May 2018, 61 unarmed Palestinians, including several children and a baby, were killed by the Israeli army, most of them shot dead by precision snipers during a demonstration close to Gaza's border fence, although some may also have been killed by the excessive us of CS gas.
Apart from the shocking number of fatalities, over 2,000 Palestinians were injured (including at least eight journalists), over one thousand of them by live ammunition. On the same day, the United States had moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a move which is a clear violation of international law. US president Donald Trump called it a "great day for Israel."
On the following day several hundred protesters gathered in central London opposite Downing Street to protest against both the ongoing Israeli crimes against the population of Gaza and the West Bank and also British diplomatic and military support for Israel. Since 2014, the UK government has exported 445 million dollars worth of arms to the country, including components for fighter aircraft, helicopters and sniper rifles.
People in the crowd expressed anger at the Israseli army's use of lethal force against unarmed protesters over the previous few weeks, which had resulted in the death of 111 demonstrators and thousands of civilian casualties. Needless to say not a single Israeli soldier had been injured and one of the Palestinians killed, Yasser Murtada, was a well respected journalist who had previously worked for the BBC, and was clearly wearing a PRESS jacket at the moment he was shot in the chest by a carefully aimed sniper's bullet.
He, like others, was also killed some distance from the illegally erected border/prison fence which isolates the population of Gaza from both their family relatives and any chance of gainful economic employment in wealthier areas. That's why the popular anology which compares Israel to South African apartheid is highly misleading because in South Africa, at least the white population needed the blacks as workers, even if they committed appalling atrocities, but in Israel the Palestinian population are neither needed nor wanted by Israeli employees.

Palestinians are treated worse than dogs, to whom humans tend to show some sympathy, but rather as unworthy of any consideration, so much so that past Israeli military operations against Gaza in which the planners know thousands of civilians are likely to die are given the military term "mowing the grass", because the Palestinian civilian population is considered of no more value in importance, than the ants one might tread underfoot when one ventures into the garden. — Representative image for context; not directly related to the specific event in this article. License: CC BY-SA 2.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

The KC-135 Stratotanker is a long-serving aerial refueling aircraft that enables U.S. and allied air operations to extend their range and endurance. Losing one aircraft reduces in-theater refueling capacity and complicates ongoing missions in the region.

For American readers, the incident underscores the ongoing risks and costs of sustaining air power in the Middle East, a region central to U.S. security interests, energy markets, and global stability. It could influence defense budgeting, maintenance demands, and decisions about renewing or upgrading aging fleets.

A Wisconsin Air National Guard Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker and General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons at the 2022 Milwaukee Air and Water Show along Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (United States). — Representative image for context; not directly related to the specific event in this article. License: CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

The episode also highlights alliance dynamics in the Gulf. Kuwait, a key partner in regional security, is involved in the broader security posture and planning for coalition operations, including the potential impact of incidents on basing access and joint missions.

CENTCOM has not released further details yet, but officials say updates will follow as information is confirmed. The incident remains a developing story with implications for personnel safety, regional stability, and the United States’ ability to sustain long-range air operations.

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