Brigadier General Rasid Mohammed Sadiq Hasan was alone in the F-16 Fighting Falcon when it went down during a training mission on Wednesday

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

The body of an Iraqi general killed when his military fighter jet crashed into the Arizona desert during a night training mission has been found near the US-Mexico border, officials said on Friday.

Search crews recovered the body of Brigadier General Rasid Mohammed Sadiq Hasan from the crash site about five miles (eight km) east of Douglas Municipal Airport, US and Iraqi government officials said.

Hasan was alone in the Iraqi military-owned F-16 Fighting Falcon when it went down at about 8pm on Wednesday, sparking a large grass fire.

The blaze was extinguished within hours, and there were no reports of injuries on the ground from the crash, authorities said.

Hasan was part of a Tucson-based training program for pilots from nine nations run by the Arizona Air National Guard’s 162nd Wing.

Military officials said the Iraqi pilots trained by the US Air Force will be the first to use F-16s belonging to Iraq in the fight against the Islamic State militant group.

General Lloyd Austin, commander of US Central Command, sent his condolences to Hasan’s family and loved ones.

“We mourn alongside our partners and the people of Iraq during this difficult period,” Austin said in a statement.

“We are in a tough fight together, and our hope is that Gen Sadiq’s comrades will be able to find strength in his service and honor his sacrifice through their own continued service in the coming days.”

The Air Force is investigating the cause of the accident, US officials said.