31.  Parliamentary elections took place in the rest of Russia last December, when federal forces and rebels were engaged in fierce fighting.

32.  A cease-fire by federal forces before then, Grachev explained, would have left them exposed to attack.

33.  A city official accused the federal forces of killing the two men without justification, the Interfax news agency reported.

34.  A federal paramilitary force on Wednesday took over security at the Taj Mahal following an e-mailed threat that Islamic militants could try to attack the monument of love.

35.  A federal paramilitary force took over security at the Taj Mahal following an e-mail threat that Islamic militants may attack the monument to love.

36.  A unilateral cease-fire by federal forces before then, he said, would have left them exposed to attack.

37.  Argun has been under Russian fire since last Thursday as federal forces try to flush out rebels who allegedly took refuge there.

38.  Any such moves are seen as likely to bring armed intervention by federal forces.

39.  Bosnian Federal forces have so far failed to provide international officials with a schedule for the destruction of the weapons they hold that are banned by the arms treaty.

40.  But federal forces and rebels continue to engage in daily skirmishes, and much of the reconstruction work remains undone.