Pakistan cuts Nato supply line after helicopter strike.
Pakistan has blocked one of two vital supply routes for US and Nato troops
in Afghanistan, officials say

30 September 2010 Last updated at 11:42 GMT

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The move comes after three Pakistani soldiers were killed in a Nato helicopter attack near the border.

The BBC's M Ilyas Khan says it is not clear whether the closure is in retaliation for the attack. 

But the blockade, if it becomes permanent, could lead to a major escalation in tensions between Pakistan and the United States. A queue of about 100 Nato vehicles is now waiting to cross the border into Afghanistan. interior Minister Rehman Malik said after the border attack on Thursday that "we will have to see whether we are allies or enemies".

However, local officials said the closure was carried out as a security measure to ensure Nato vehicles were not attacked by the Taliban in retaliation for the helicopter attack.

Our correspondent says the route through the Khyber area supplies Kabul and is one of two key supply lines linking Pakistan to Afghanistan.

Another route - going though Quetta and Chaman to southern Afghanistan - remains open.

Security officials said Nato helicopters had entered Pakistani airspace and targeted a paramilitary checkpoint in Thursday's attack.

A Nato official confirmed there was an attack, but said that the military alliance believed it was in Afghan airspace. She added that the incident was under investigation.

New pattern

Meanwhile at least five suspected militants have been killed in a suspected drone strike some 30km (18.6 miles) west of Miramshah, officials say.

There has been a major escalation in such strikes this year - with 64 in North Waziristan and six in South Waziristan.

Our correspondent says Thursday's incident is the second attack by Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) helicopters on suspected fleeing militants in the country's Kurram area since last weekend.

On 28 September a similar strike took place in Kurram, witnesses say.

Our correspondent says that the latest strikes have set a new pattern in the US-led "war on terror" in Pakistani tribal areas, because until now drones have been carrying out strikes against al-Qaeda and Taliban targets in the area.

But it seems that coalition forces have now decided to start using the "hot-pursuit" option as well.

The strikes come after months of pressure from the western coalition urging Pakistan to launch a clean-up operation against militant groups in its North Waziristan tribal area.

Pakistan has argued that this would be difficult because troops are already spread too thinly to open a new front against the militants, especially when many soldiers have been helping out with recent flood relief operations.

A Pakistani official told AFP news agency that Thursday's attack was "unprovoked".

"Nato helicopters entered our airspace and targeted a paramilitary checkpost killing three soldiers and wounding three others," the official said. (BBC news south asia)

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