A US Air Force C-130 jet crashed at the Taji Camp, north of Iraq’s capital Baghdad last night, allegedly after it overran a runway and struck a wall. According to a statement issued by the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, four service members received “non-life-threatening injuries” and are being treated at the base’s medical facility.
“The airfield crash, fire, and rescue team were on the scene within four minutes, extinguished the fire, and assisted an evacuation of the plane,” the statement read, adding that “enemy activity” was not suspected; with the incident remaining under investigation.
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The C-130 involved was assigned to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, based at the Ali Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait.
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However a recently formed resistance faction, the Usbat Al-Thaireen (League of Revolutionaries) claimed responsibility for downing the aircraft. The same group took credit for the deadly rocket attack at the same base in March in which two American and one British service members were killed.
First a few Pro #Iran/PMF accounts claimed that #US C130 was shot down near Baghdad airport.
And then newly emerged Usbat Al-Tha’ereen militia group took credit for the downing of the US plane near Taji #Iraq #Coalition reported it as an incident without mentioning the cause pic.twitter.com/x2dE6IIgrI— Nafiseh Kohnavard (@nafisehkBBC) June 8, 2020
In separate developments, a rocket has hit the vicinity of Baghdad International Airport, near to where US forces are deployed, however a security official told AFP that there were “no casualties or damage”.
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