At least 13 Pakistani soldiers and 10 tribesmen were killed in an air strike and overnight clashes with NATO and Afghan forces in a tribal region, reports have said.
The clashes erupted in Pakistan's Mohmand Agency after Pakistani border forces stopped NATO and Afghan troops from establishing a check-post along the frontier, reports said.
The Pakistan Army confirmed the incident but did not give details of casualties. TV news channels reported that at least 13 Pakistani soldiers, including an officer identified only as Major Akbar, were killed in the clashes.
There were also reports of casualties on the Afghan side. An air strike by the NATO and Afghan forces was also reported by TV channels.
A Pakistani check-post and at least two border villages were shelled. The villages that were bombed are located one to four kilometres from the Durand Line, which divides Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Bodies and the injured were air-lifted to Ghalanai, the headquarters of Mohmand Agency, and Peshawar in two military helicopters.
Reports said that there were about 50 personnel from the paramilitary Mohmand Rifles in the area when the clashes erupted late night. The Army reportedly lost contact with 40 of the troops after the air strike.
A local Taliban spokesman in Mohmand Agency said the militants had inflicted numerous casualties among the NATO and Afghan troops. He also claimed that the Taliban had captured seven NATO troops. Local tribal elders said they would support the Pakistani troops in defending the region against any further attacks by the NATO and Afghan forces.