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Ten Pakistani soldiers and two suspected terrorists were killed in a gun battle in the North Western Frontier Province, the Pakistani army and government officials said.
"We extend our deep appreciation to the Government of Pakistan... but deeply regret the deaths of those soldiers killed in the line of duty. Our sympathies go out to their families," the state department said in a statement.
"Since September 11, Pakistan has time and again shown itself to be a stalwart partner in the coalition against terrorism. That several of its soldiers have made the ultimate sacrifice once again proves its commitment to our common struggle against terror," it added.
US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage also applauded the Pakistani operations on Wednesday, in a testimony on Afghanistan to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"Right now Pakistan is on the right side of the ledger," he said. Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf "has ordered his soldiers into the heretofore forbidden tribal areas. They are suffering casualties, very much at our behest," he added.
Armitage and his counterpart at the Pentagon, Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, defended the Bush administration's unwillingness to support expansion of the Turkish-led international force in Kabul.
They said that the US military priority was to track down the remnants of Al Qaeda, and that other countries were reluctant to commit troops to the force for long periods.
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