Pakistan official: NATO attack kills 24 Pakistani soldiers

(CNN) -- NATO helicopters opened fire on two Pakistani military checkpoints near the border with Afghanistan early Saturday, killing 24 soldiers, the Pakistani foreign ministry and military said Saturday in a statement.

Earlier, a provincial governor had put the death toll at 26.

At least 14 soldiers were wounded in the attack in the Mohmand Agency area, said Syed Masood Kausar, governor of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Mohmand Agency is one of seven districts of the volatile region bordering Afghanistan.

"It's a huge incident," he told reporters in Islamabad.

Many of the injured are in critical condition, military officials said. The officials did not want to be identified because they are not allowed to talk to the media.    More