The Basra Police Command announced late Thursday that its units have initiated a large-scale search operation for an American pilot who reportedly went down within the province’s administrative borders.
According to a report by Al Jazeera, specialized teams were dispatched immediately to the suspected crash site, though the pilot’s whereabouts remain unconfirmed.
The incident in Basra follows a chaotic week of maritime and aerial engagements. On Monday, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense confirmed that several US warplanes—identified by CENTCOM as three F-15E Strike Eagles—crashed in Kuwaiti territory.
US Central Command attributed the losses to a “friendly fire” incident, stating that Kuwaiti air defenses mistakenly targeted the jets during active combat with Iranian drones and missiles.
However, Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters issued a competing claim, asserting that Iranian air defenses successfully intercepted and “downed a hostile American F-15” near the Kuwaiti-Iraqi border.
The region has been engulfed in a total military escalation since Saturday, February 28, following the launch of Operation “Epic Fury.”
This joint US-Israeli pre-emptive campaign resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, along with several top-tier military officials. Tehran has since retaliated with expansive “True Promise 4” strikes targeting Tel Aviv and US installations in Kuwait, Iraq, and the UAE.
