The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that three of its F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets crashed in Kuwaiti airspace due to friendly fire by the country's air defense system.
According to an official statement, the incident occurred at 11:03 pm US Eastern Time, corresponding to 0403 GMT on March 1. At the time of the incident, the three aircraft were carrying out a support mission under the military operation called "Operation Epic Fury".
CENTCOM confirmed that all six crew members successfully ejected safely and are now in stable condition.
Kuwait also acknowledged the incident and provided full cooperation to the US side. CENTCOM appreciated the quick action of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their continued support in the ongoing operation.
The Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, only briefly touched on the incident during a media briefing at the Pentagon, Washington on Monday morning.
He confirmed receiving reports of the loss of three US Air Force F-15E aircraft and was grateful that all crews were safe. Caine also explained that the incident was not caused by enemy fire.
However, he declined to comment further as the investigation is still ongoing.
In a separate development, Iranian state media, citing the Islamic Republic of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, claimed that the country's armed forces were responsible for the attack on a US jet that crashed in Kuwait, according to a Reuters report.
So far, there has been no official confirmation from the US regarding the claim.
Authorities said an investigation has been launched to identify the exact cause of the incident and assess improvement measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
