Kabul: Nato forces in Afghanistan hit targets inside Pakistan with artillery and attack helicopters after coming under rocket fire from across the border, the alliance said on Wednesday.

Tension is high along the border with a sharp rise in attacks in eastern Afghanistan coming from inside Pakistan that Afghan and Nato officials blame on de-facto ceasefires between the Pakistani military and militants in its lawless tribal belt.

Troops from Nato's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) "received multiple rocket attacks from militants inside Pakistan, July 15", the alliance said in a statement.

"The troops identified a [compound] as the point of origin of the attacks and responded in self-defence with a combination of fire from attack helicopters and artillery into Pakistan."

Nine Afghan soldiers were wounded by the rocket attacks and ISAF responded immediately, an ISAF spokesman said. ISAF and the Pakistani army "coordinated their operation closely from the outset."