1.   Refugees from several villages just west of the border post said that fighting had started early in the morning and that soldiers had stormed their villages in large numbers.

2.   Russian troops entered the breakaway republic of Chechnya in September after Chechen-based militants stormed villages in the neighboring Russian region of Dagestan.

3.   The police stormed this village at dawn a year ago, and battled with armed fighters for two days.

4.   Uniformed men on horses stormed the village.

5.   A gang of sandalwood smugglers and ivory poachers stormed a village and shot and killed at least six unarmed villagers, a news agency reported Thursday.

6.   A spokesman for the separatist headquarters, however, told Interfax that Russian troops made four attempts to storm the village but were forced to retreat.

7.   After two days of shelling, the troops stormed the village, separating the women and children from the men.

8.   Although the Russians threatened to storm the village Sunday unless the hostages were released, the deadline passed without an attack.

9.   Although the Russians threatened to storm the village unless the hostages were released by Sunday morning, the deadline passed without an attack.

10.   But a Russian military spokesman quoted by Interfax denied Moscow had made any attempt to storm the village.