Four suspected al Qaeda militants and three Pakistani security officials have been killed in a clash near the northwestern Pakistani town of Kohat.
The encounter occurred when security personnel tried to stop a vehicle at a military checkpost at Jarma bridge, 10 km south the town.
A policeman and a soldier were killed in a shootout with the suspected militants, while another policeman died afterwards when a grenade went off as they were emptying the vehicle of explosives, witnesses said.
Pakistan appears to have stepped up efforts recently to track down al Qaeda and Taliban fugitives who may have fled to the country from neighbouring Afghanistan.
Ten Pakistani soldiers and two suspected al Qaeda members were killed last week in a gun battle in South Waziristan, more than 200 km southwest of Kohat.
The men were killed when Pakistani soldiers raided a house they suspected of being a hideout for al Qaeda operatives.