PESHAWAR, Pakistan, July 21, SPA -- Two days of clashes between security forces and militants in Pakistan's northwesternregion near the Afghan border left more than 50 militantsand three soldiers dead, the military said Tuesday. There was no way to independently confirm the casualtyfigures because access to the remote area is restricted forjournalists. Maj. Fazlur Rahman, spokesman for the paramilitaryFrontier Corps, said the clashes came during a two-dayoperation Sunday and Monday in the Maidan area of LowerDir, a region bordering the Swat Valley where the army hasbeen wrapping up an offensive against Taliban militants. Pakistan's army also said more than 50 militants had beenkilled in the clashes, according to a report of The Associated Press.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/686245