“It happened early morning,” a Pakistani intelligence official in the region, who declined to be identified, told Reuters. “The helicopter hit a Pakistani check post on the border in the Datta Khel area.”
Another intelligence official said several Pakistani helicopters took off from Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan, towards the site of the attack. The purpose of the Pakistani mobilisation was unclear.
The Pakistan army lodged a “strong protest” with Nato in Afghanistan over what it said was a violation of Pakistani air space by two helicopters, a military statement said.
The military condemned the violation and has requested for a flag meeting with Nato officials, DawnNews quoted ISPR spokesman Athar Abbas as saying.
Relations between the US and Pakistan have been pushed almost to the breaking point after the secret May 2 raid on Abbottabad that killed Osama bin Laden, embarrassing and humiliating the powerful Pakistani Army and intelligence service.
Before that, in late January, undercover CIA contractor Raymond Davis killed two Pakistanis in Lahore, resulting in a six-week standoff over diplomatic immunity.
A previous incursion on Sept. 30, 2010, killed two Pakistani troops and wounded four more when Nato helicopters crossed the border while pursing insurgents. Pakistan retaliated by shutting down the supply route for Nato troops in Afghanistan.
Washington sees the rugged border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan as a critical battleground against al Qaeda and the Taliban.