24 Pakistani soldiers were killed by a NATO air strike in what appears to be a case of mistaken identity.
According to the Associated Press, a joint US-Afghan patrol was attacked by the Taliban in the Mohmand tribal region.
Anonymous Afghan officials told The Wall Street Journal that the air strike was called to protect NATO and Afghan forces who were under fire by the controversial militant group.
While pursuing the enemy responsible, the patrol seemingly mistook one of the Pakistan troop outposts for a Taliban encampment and ordered a NATO gunship to open fire.
The Taliban may have tried to provoke a cross-border fire fight, aimed to cause conflict between the US, NATO forces and Pakistan, US officials suggest.
The incident is said to have angered the public and has also made the ties between the US and Pakistan even more strained.
The ties, which are crucial in order to combat the Taliban, have been loosening since the beginning of the year by events including the killing of two Pakistani men by CIA contractor Raymond Davis and the US military raid that assassinated Osama bin Laden in May this year.
Senior military commanders attended the funeral prayers in Peshawar, where officials laid wreaths on coffins draped with Pakistani flags.
Despite applogies from NATO and the US, who described the incidents as tragic, Pakistan say that the air strike violated its independence and opposition parties are demanding that the government sever ties with the US.
13 people were left injured as a result of the attacks.
