The United States central command (CENTCOM) says the shooting down of its fighter jets in Kuwait on Monday was a friendly fire incident involving the host country.
Earlier, Kuwait’s ministry of defence announced the crash of several US military aircraft without specifying the cause or number of aircraft involved. The ministry confirmed that all crew members were safe.
The incident occurred amid ongoing US and Israel strikes on Iran, continuing a military operation that began on Saturday.
Iran responded by firing missiles and drones towards Israel and at multiple US bases across the Gulf region, including Kuwait.
In a statement, the US central command noted that the incident involved three U.S. F-15E strike eagles flying in support of “Operation Epic Fury”.
The statement noted that the jets “went down over Kuwait due to an apparent friendly fire incident”.
“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 defences,” the statement reads.
“All six aircrew ejected safely, have been safely recovered, and are in stable condition. Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation.”
The US central command noted that the cause of the incident is under investigation, adding that it would release additional information when available.
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