Pakistani officials have accused Nato helicopters of firing on a military checkpoint near Pakistan's Afghan border, killing at least 14 soldiers.
The attack took place in the Pakistani tribal region of Mohmand after Nato helicopters flew over the border from Afghanistan, they said.
Nato said it was aware of "an incident" near the border and that it was investigating.
The Pakistani military said it was an "unprovoked and indiscriminate" attack.
"Casualties have been reported and details are awaited," a military spokesman said.
The alleged attack took place at the Salala checkpoint, about 1.5 miles (2.5 km) from the Afghan border, Reuters reports, at around 02:00 local time (21:00 GMT).
If confirmed, the attack would further complicate US-Pakistan relations, already under strain following a unilateral US raid that killed Osama Bin Laden in May.
Unnamed officials initially put the toll at up to eight, including an army major.
'Intolerable'Masood Kausar, governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, condemned the attack in a statement, reported AFP news agency.
"Such cross-border attacks are unacceptable and intolerable," he said, adding that the government would take up the matter at the highest level and launch a thorough investigation.
Pakistani troops are involved in fighting the Taliban in the crucial border region area. Some 5,000 militants have been resisting attempts by the security forces to clear them from southern and south-eastern parts of the district.
The US has been targeting militants in Pakistan's tribal areas near the Afghan border for several months, often using unmanned drone aircraft.
Last year, US helicopters accidentally killed two Pakistani soldiers near the border, prompting Pakistan to temporarily close the border to supplies shipped through the country to Nato troops in Afghanistan.
In October, Pakistan's army chief Ashfaq Kayani warned the US against taking unilateral action in nearby North Waziristan.
He said that the US should focus on stabilising Afghanistan instead of pushing Pakistan to attack militant groups in the crucial border region.
Washington has for many years urged Islamabad to deal with militants in the area.
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