KOTA, Pakistan: Pakistani troops have killed over 50 militants in two days of fighting in the Lower Dir district, the military said yesterday.

The security forces conducted a search and cordon operation in several villages of Lower Dir against militants who had fled a military offensive in the neighboring Swat valley, the military said in a statement issued late on Monday. "During the operation, over 50 militants were killed and several wounded," according to the statement.

The Pakistani military is in the last stages of an operation launched over two months ago in Swat. The military says it has killed more than 1,700 militants, but critics say few guerrilla leaders have been eliminated. Independent casualty estimates are unavailable.