Bomb Blast Wounds 3 in Pakistan

Authorities in northwest Pakistan say a roadside bomb has wounded three Pakistani troops.

Government officials say militants detonated the bomb Thursday as they passed a group of soldiers in a town near Peshawar.

Last week, two suicide bombings in the country's northwest killed 24.

Meanwhile, U.S. and Pakistani officials continue to publicly disagree whether al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and top Afghan Taliban leaders are operating from within Pakistan.

The two countries have repeatedly clashed over the issue since shortly after the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan.

The latest exchange occurred after the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said that Afghan Taliban leaders continue to direct their operations from a base in the main city in Pakistan's Baluchistan province.

Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik called the U.S. claims "mere speculation."

A foreign ministry spokesman also said Pakistan has conveyed its concerns to U.S. officials about using drone missile strikes against suspected Taliban targets in Baluchistan.