People trapped at home for weeks emerged in search of food at barren shops while corpses lay exposed in the Swat Valley's main city today, as a Pakistani official suggested the army offensive against the Taliban in the region could end in days. Elsewhere along the Afghan border area, dozens of militants died in clashes with soldiers in a tribal region, fighting that could nudge the military to expand its offensive beyond Swat. Pakistan launched an offensive against militants in Swat and surrounding districts last month after they violated the terms of a cease-fire and advanced into a region close to the capital, Islamabad. Officials from the International Committee of the Red Cross visiting other parts of the valley on Saturday were 'alarmed'. The military said relief work was proceeding in Mingora but it will be at least two weeks before power is restored there, so refugees are not being encouraged to return home yet. More than 1,200 militants have been killed in the Swat offensive, according to the military - a figure that cannot be independently verified. The military has not released civilian casualty numbers and it is unclear how it distinguishes militants from non-combatants.