Pakistani officials say Taliban militants have shot and killed three army intelligence officers in the northwestern Swat Valley.
They say the incident took place Monday near Mingora, the main town in Swat.
A spokesman for the militants said the officials were killed to protest the physical torture of militants in government custody.
The killings undermine a peace treaty that was signed between the government and the militants in May.
Also on Monday, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said it would be a violation of his country's sovereignty if a missile strike in a Pakistani border village was launched by the United States.
U.S. President George Bush met with Mr. Gilani at the White House the same day. He said the United States supports the sovereignty of Pakistan.
Mr. Bush made no direct mention of reports of a possible U.S. connection to a missile strike earlier in the day near the Afghan border that killed at least six people.
NATO and U.S.-led coalition forces in Afghanistan have denied carrying out the attack, but the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has operated drones in the region. Officials in Pakistan indicate an al-Qaida weapons expert is among the dead.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
