BBC NEWS 24 115 08 Aug 14:10/36 ************ ************** ****** * *** *** ** ************** ****** ************ ************************** RUSSIA PREPARES ASSAULT AGAINST REBELS Russia is preparing an assault against rebels surrounding villages near breakaway Chechnya, authorities said. It was unclear how or when the attack would be carried out, though Russian news reports said it could begin today. Meanwhile, Boris Yeltsin has ordered Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin to fly to the republic of Dagestan, where gunmen moved in on three villages. The gunmen were believed to be from the fundamentalist Wahhabi Islamic movement Headlines 101 Index 102 Latest 150 Sport 300 TV 460 Regional 500
