Taleban militants have killed three people after accusing them of spying in a troubled tribal area along the Afghan border, officials and witnesses said.
Two men were beheaded and a third was shot dead in Bajaur.
Their bodies were found on a road with notes saying they were spying on the Taleban.
In the last 48 hours, at least five troops and 25 pro-Taleban militants have died in clashes in the area.
Talks between Pakistan's new government and Taleban leaders broke down in June.
Security has deteriorated sharply in recent weeks along the frontier.
A Bajaur official told the AFP news agency that the bodies of three men were found on a road in Kayrala village with notes saying: "These men were spying on Taleban movement fighters."
Residents said a Taleban leader in Bajaur, Maulvi Faqir Mohammad, had warned locals over the radio not to leave the area. He said anyone found to have passed any information about Taleban to the government would be beheaded.
On Thursday, a Taleban spokesman told the BBC militants had killed 22 members of the security forces and kidnapped another 17 in the Federally Administered Tribal Area.
Maj Murad Khan told the BBC five Pakistani troops had been killed but an unnamed security official told AFP news agency that 10 soldiers had died.
There is mounting pressure on the Pakistani government from the US to crack down on fighters using the lawless tribal regions to launch cross-border raids into Afghanistan to target coalition forces.
(BBC)
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