By KUNA,
Islamabad : More than 13 soldiers were killed in an overnight Allied Forces bombardment inside Pakistani territory along the Afghan border, said officials and reports on Wednesday.
Security officials told KUNA that Tuesday night, after being denied entry into Pakistani Mohmand tribal agency, Afghan troops attacked the Frontier Core (FC) Choparra checkpost.
There was heavy exchange of fire between the Afghan and Pakistani forces that continued for over two hours but no deaths were reported.
The attack was followed by air strikes by NATO helicopters. Local news channels citing eyewitnesses and official sources said that the NATO air strikes targeted both security forces and populated areas, including Gluno village, Nadir Klay, and Bahadur Klay.
Reports said that more than 13 soldiers were killed in the incident. However, Express news channel claimed that at least 40 troopers were killed and ten were missing.
The dead bodies of 13 soldiers were flown to Peshawar, capital of North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), Wednesday morning.
Official sources told media that at the time of attack, there were at least 50 soldiers deployed in the area.
This is the second incident since the new government was installed in Islamabad. Earlier, a US air strike in Bajaur tribal agency killed more than ten people and wounded several others.
The latest incident could threaten a peace deal between the new government and local Taliban militants.