Pakistani troops kill three
From CNN Producer Syed Mohsin Naqvi
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistani troops have killed three people and wounded five others near the Afghan border while hunting Islamic militants in South Waziristan, sources said.
The troops fired on a car at an army checkpoint Wednesday after an altercation broke out when one of the men in the vehicle refused to submit to a search.
The latest violence came a day after shelling from the Pakistani army killed 15 tribal elders and wounded five others, sources said.
The sources included a local tribal man who witnessed the event and members of the police and intelligence.
One source said the shelling occurred as the elders -- who have been helping the government search for Abdullaha Masood and his allies -- were negotiating with locals.
The source said he did not know why the elders may have been a target.
However, a Pakistan army spokesman denied that the tribal elders were killed from shelling.
Masood is accused of masterminding the recent kidnapping of Chinese engineers and giving shelter to members of the al Qaeda terror network and the Taliban.
The Pakistan army, which is engaged in a massive search for Masood, has been carrying out an operation against al Qaeda hideouts for more than a year in South Waziristan, where both sides have suffered heavy casualties.
After the reports of the killings, tribal men threatened to stop cooperating with the government.
