RUSSIA : Chechen Villagers Contradict Military

The Russian army claimed their forces wiped out a group of 60 separatist fighters in the hills behind the town of Shatoi, but local people, burying their dead beside bombed out homes, told a different story. Residents of Vashindaroi, two miles from Shatoi, said there were no rebel fighters in their village, which they said was the target of a bombardment that killed an 80-year-old grandmother, wounded some children and damaged their homes. Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President Al Gore, arriving Saturday on a five-day trip to Russia, said he would object to the recent escalation of fighting in Chechnya when he meets Monday and Tuesday with Russian officials.