Russians Hunt Rebel Holdouts as Fighting Subsides in Chechen Capital

Russian soldiers searched for rebel fighters in Chechnya’s war-torn capital Sunday after four days of clashes with the separatists.

Bursts of gunfire still rattled through rubble-filled streets, but things were returning to what counts as normalcy in a city where fighting started 15 months ago.

Local officials said most of the rebels had retreated, although there were still snipers in some districts.

The clashes thrust Grozny back to the days of early last year, leaving homes without water and with only sporadic electricity.

But power was slowly returning to parts of the city on Sunday and local residents ventured onto the streets in search of food and water.

Total casualty figures from the latest fighting are still unclear, but Interfax news agency quoted an official from the Russian-backed Chechen government as saying that about 100 civilians had died.

The Russian Interior Ministry told the agency that 170 of about 1,800 Chechen fighters operating in Grozny had been killed and 100 had been injured. The figures could not be confirmed.

Interfax quoted Interior Ministry officials as saying that three soldiers died overnight, bringing the military’s death toll since Wednesday to 38.

At a nearby Russian checkpoint grimy soldiers were still wary after searches for snipers operating from nearby buildings. But they were less jumpy than on previous days. All said they were tired.

Fighters loyal to rebel leader Dzhokar M. Dudayev sneaked into parts of Grozny on Wednesday, in a humiliating blow to the Kremlin and President Boris N. Yeltsin, who is seeking reelection in June.

Russia responded by sending in extra troops and armor in its biggest military operation in the region since it captured Grozny from the rebels a year ago.

Interfax quoted a source from the Russian military command as saying that it would take several more days to clear Grozny of the fighters and clear the city of their mines.