US Air Force pilot killed in crash in Mideast
Officials say incident was not combat-related and did not occur in Iraq or Syria
Illustrative photo of an F-16. (photo credit: CC BY Ronnie Macdonald, Flickr)
A US Air Force pilot was killed when an F-16 crashed while returning to its base in the Middle East.
The US Central Command, which is in charge of American military operations in the Mideast, said the fighter jet crashed in a non-combat incident late Sunday night while going back to its base shortly after takeoff.
The command did not disclose the identity of the pilot or the location of the crash. But it said it did not occur in either Iraq or Syria where a US-led coalition has been bombing Islamic State extremists.
The crash is being investigated.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.