NATO helicopter attacks Pakistani army post

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) -- Pakistani troops and a NATO helicopter that crossed into Pakistani territory exchanged fire on Tuesday, wounding two soldiers, local officials said, and Pakistan protested, further straining relations with the West following the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

Also Tuesday, the army said a "senior al-Qaida operative" had been arrested in the port city of Karachi. In a brief statement, it said Yemeni national Muhammad Ali Qasim Yaqub, alias Abu Sohaib Al Makki, had been working directly under al Qaida leaders along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. It did not say when he was arrested.

It was not immediately possible to locate any independent information about Al Makki.

Pakistan's army and intelligence agencies have faced intense international suspicions since bin Laden was killed on May 2 in an American raid on a large house in the army town of Abbottabad not far from the capital. Many American lawmakers have said bin Laden's location was a strong sign that Pakistan was playing a "double game" - that is accepting U.S. aid but also protecting terrorists. Pakistan denies that.