US fighter jets that crashed in Kuwait had been shot down by ‘friendly fire’ | EUROtoday

Three U.S. fighter jets have been shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses in what American officers are describing as a “friendly fire incident.”

The affirmation follows an earlier replace from the Gulf state’s army confirming “several” jets had crashed, as video unfold on-line exhibiting the fiery aftermath of the airplane falling to earth.

“At 11:03 p.m. ET, March 1, three U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles flying in support of Operation Epic Fury went down over Kuwait due to an apparent friendly fire incident,” U.S. Central Command mentioned in a press release.

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“During active combat—that included attacks from Iranian aircraft, ballistic missiles, and drones — the U.S. Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses.”

Footage posted on-line confirmed a jet falling from the sky in flames, and CNN evaluation of the video instructed it was an F-15E twin-engine fighter jet.

Another video appeared to indicate a pilot parachuting to the bottom.

All six aircrew ejected safely and survived, the assertion mentioned, with additional particulars anticipated when Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth offers a press convention at 8 a.m. Eastern time.

“Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation.”

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A Kuwait protection spokesperson added that “direct coordination was conducted with the friendly U.S. forces regarding the circumstances of the incident, and joint technical measures were taken.”

‘Friendly fire’ refers to army motion from one’s personal facet that causes unintentional harm or demise to 1’s personal forces.

“Death and wounding by our own hand in ground combat happens far more frequently than is officially acknowledged,” the U.S. Naval Institute mentioned in a abstract on its web site.

In the second Gulf War, as an example, American troops killed at the very least seven and wounded 34 of their compatriots throughout 18 suspected pleasant hearth incidents associated to the invasion of Iraq, The Guardian reported in 2010.

Another incident in June 2014 noticed 5 Americans and an Afghan soldier killed when an Air Force B-1 bomber mistakenly dropped two 500-lb bombs on them throughout a nighttime firefight in Afghanistan, CBS reported.

The Kuwait incident is now below investigation to find out the reason for the incident, the assertion from Kuwaiti authorities mentioned, and they are going to be “calling for information” from official sources.

The assertion didn’t specify precisely the place the collision occurred or the place the plane was touring to or from, however it’s seemingly they had been based mostly at Kuwait’s Ali Al Salem Air Base, roughly 23 miles from the Iraqi border.

Geolocation knowledge from the video posted on-line instructed the collision occurred about 6 miles from the bottom, CNN reported.

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The air base hosts a everlasting U.S. presence with the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, together with numerous F-15E fighter jets.

The F-15E Strike Eagle was first designed within the Eighties for long-range, high-speed air superiority with out counting on escorts or electronic-warfare plane.

It may be distinguished from different related jets by its darker camouflage and gas tanks.

The F-15E fighters performed a key function within the first Gulf War, serving to to drive Saddam Hussein’s forces from Kuwait.

They have been based mostly within the nation since then.