ISLAMABAD – U.S. missiles struck a training facility operated by Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud and a militant communication center Friday, killing 17 people and wounding 27 others, intelligence officials said.

The two attacks by drone aircraft took place in South Waziristan, a Mehsud stronghold close to the Afghan border where Pakistani troops are gearing up for a military offensive, two officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Meanwhile, an army transport helicopter carrying security personnel in the northwest crashed after developing a technical fault, killing 26 people on board, military officials said.

An investigation into the cause of the crash not far from the main city of Peshawar was under way, Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said.

The drone attacks were the latest in a string of more than 40 believed to have been carried out by the United States against militant targets in the border area since last August.

Washington does not directly acknowledge being responsible for the attacks, which kill civilians as well as militants.

Most Pakistanis criticize the drone attacks, and Islamabad officially protests them as violations of its sovereignty. Still, most experts believe the government secretly approves of them and probably provides the United States with intelligence.

The Associated Press

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