CHAMAN: About 300 Pakistani tribesmen briefly blocked Nato supplies and other traffic at a crossing along the border with Afghanistan on Friday to protest an alleged shooting incident, officials said.

The four-hour-long blockade at the Chaman crossing followed a clash a day earlier on the Afghan side of the border between guards and Pakistani and Afghan tribesmen who were being searched. Residents said Afghan guards opened fire and wounded eight people.

A Pakistani border guard spokesman, Saeed Ahmed, said their officers held talks with tribal elders and convinced them to end the blockade because the protest was affecting trade and travel for thousands of people.

He said his regional commander had assured the local elders that he would soon convey the tribesmen's grievances to his Afghan counterpart so that any such incident could be avoided in the future.

Many supplies for US and Nato troops fighting in Afghanistan travel through Pakistan and cross the border at Chaman. Tribesmen who live in the area often have relatives and business contacts on both sides of the border.