Pak army blames helicopters for 3 dead soldiers

Islamabad, Pakistan: A deadly incident in the area along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan has had wider repercussions.

The Pakistani army said its men at a checkpoint area had fired warning shots at two NATO helicopters, which responded with missiles that destroyed the border post, killing three soldiers and wounding three more.

NATO said it was investigating, but Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik was outraged.

"It should not be only a formal condemnation, it should be more than a formal condemnation, because we will not tolerate these kinds of attacks in which our regular soldiers and Frontier Corps soldiers or border security people come under attack. We will have to see whether we are allies or enemies; people ask questions 'if you are being attacked, are you fighting a war or are you in a war together?'" Malik said.

Vital goods needed for US and NATO troops in Afghanistan move through Pakistan.

In an apparent retaliation for the alleged cross-border helicopter strike, transit of supplies was blocked along one key route Thursday. It appeared to be a major escalation in tensions, and a reminder of the leverage Islamabad has over Washington at a crucial time in the 9-year-old Afghan war.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's office said he told visiting CIA director Leon Panetta that his country was profoundly concerned about helicopter incursions and also an increase in American drone missile strikes in Pakistan's northwest.