A Pakistani judge has extended the detention of a U.S. citizen arrested earlier this week on charges of trying to enter a restricted tribal area in Pakistan's northwest.
The judge granted police two more days to question the American man following a brief court hearing Friday.
Pakistani police arrested the man at a security checkpoint Monday, as he tried to enter the Mohmand tribal area near the Afghan border. Police say the man is of Pakistani descent and did not have the permission required for foreigners to enter the country's tribal regions.
A U.S. State Department spokesman says U.S. officials are providing the man with consular assistance. He declined Wednesday to give specific details, including the man's name, citing privacy concerns.
The Pakistani military has been waging an offensive against al-Qaida and Taliban militants in the tribal region.
In the latest fighting, Pakistani security forces say army helicopters struck targets Friday in the Bajaur tribal region. The military says it has killed at least 1,000 militants in Bajaur since August.
In other violence, Pakistani officials say the body of an Afghan national was found shot to death in North Waziristan Friday. They say the man was found with a note accusing him of spying for U.S. forces.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
