U.S. missiles struck a training facility allegedly operated by Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud and a militant hide-out Friday, killing 15 people and wounding 27 others. According to AP, the two attacks by drone aircraft took place in South Waziristan, a Mehsud stronghold close to the Afghan border.

They were the latest in more than 40 such strikes by the United States against civilians in the border area since last August. Washington does not directly acknowledge being responsible for the attacks, which kill civilians as well as militants.
The strikes came as the Pakistani military prepares for its own offensive in South Waziristan to eliminate Mehsud, who has been blamed for a string of deadly suicide attacks across the country that have killed more than 100 people in the past month.