ISLAMABAD, Jan. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Pakistan has lodged a strong protest with coalition forces in Afghanistan over the killing of eight people in the country's tribal North Waziristan region in firing from Afghanistan.

    "Americans have denied involvement of their troops in the firing but Pakistan has initiated investigations to find out what exactly happened," Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnem Aslam told the weekly press briefing here on Monday.

    She said Pakistan did not know who initiated the firing but had protested to coalition forces as they were responsible for security on the other side of the Durand Line, that separate Pakistan and Afghanistan.

    People in Waziristan claimed that the U.S helicopters bombed a house of a local tribesman in the Pakistani border town of Saidgey Friday night, killing eight persons including two children and a woman.

    Tribesmen said that the US and Afghan ground forces also crossed into the Pakistani territory and took some people with them. Enditem