CHECHNYA: GOYSKOYE: BURIAL OF CHECHEN REBELS

(31 Mar 2000) Russian/Nat Russian soldiers have handed over the bodies of 60 Chechens killed in fighting over the last month near the village of Komsomolskoye, south of Grozny. Relatives and friends gathered to identify and bury the corpses- many were decomposed beyond recognition. Witnesses claim dozens of bodies still lie unburied in Goyskoye, raising fears of the spread of disease in the area. An armoured personnel carrier drives past - one of the instruments of destruction that has helped reduce the village of Komsomolskoye to rubble - and all these wretched villagers could do was watch. They waited in the pouring rain to retrieve the bodies of relatives and friends killed in recent fighting. After several hours, Russian Army commanders finally kept their promise and military trucks brought in the remains of the rebels killed in the battle for the village over the last month. Komsomolskoye used to be home to several thousand people - locals s