ISLAMABAD, July 3 (Reuters) - A Pakistani military helicopter crashed because of a technical failure in the northwest of the country on Friday killing 26 security personnel, a military official said.

"An MI-17 helicopter crashed due to technical fault ... 26 security personnel embraced shahdat," said the official, who declined to be identified.

"Embraced shahdat" means martyred, or killed. Earlier, government officials in the region said four people had been killed. (Writing by Robert Birsel; Editing by Alex Richardson)

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