POWELL, Wyo.  — It’s a grizzly bear attack story that’s drawn national attention due to the courage and strength four college wrestling teammates displayed, leading to their survival.

The bear attacked one man in the Wyoming wilderness. His friend jumped in to save him and suffered the worst of it, but, as he recounted Wednesday, it was the right thing to do. In a desperate move that almost cost him his own life, he grabbed a fistful of the bear’s fur and pulled with all his might.

“I had to get it off. I had to do something. I couldn’t watch my friend get torn up right in front of me,” Kendell Cummings told MTN News in Powell, where he's recovering from his injuries.

When the teammates at Northwest College in northern Wyoming decided to head to the Bobcat-Houlihan Trail for some shed hunting Saturday, they never expected the turn it would take.

“We probably got five or six miles back in and it was getting a little late. We found a couple of sheds (antlers), all of us found a couple, and we were there, and we decided it’s time to turn around and go back to the truck,” Brady Lowry said.

That’s when the group separated. Cummings and Lowry traveled together and were apart from their other two teammates, Orrin Jackson and August Harrison, for around 10 minutes before the attack happened.

“I looked over at Kendell, and he was probably only about 15 yards away from me, and I was like, 'Dude, there are bear signs everywhere,' and right after I said that is when the crashing started happening in the trees ... The only thing I had time to say was, 'Bear! Bear!” Lowry said.

That’s when a grizzly bear lunged at Lowry, knocking him off a small ledge, leaving Cummings to watch in horror above the grizzly and his friend.

“It’s gnawing on me. I threw up my arm to protect the first initial bite, and its bite broke my arm, and it was just throwing me around down there, just doing whatever. I was helpless,” Lowry said.

That helpless moment is when his friend jumped into action by first by yelling and throwing anything he could find at the bear.

“Nothing was working. The bear was just focused on Brady, and it was getting Brady. So, I eventually got up there, right up next to him, and I grabbed the bear and pulled him off of Brady, and the bear kind of looked at me and took me out onto the ground and started attacking me,” Cummings said.

Lowry got up and ran to call 911 and find his friends, but Cummings didn’t know that and called out to make sure his teammate was okay.

“But when I called out to Brady, I think the bear knew that I was still in the area, and I was still a threat. So, it came back around and got me again,” Cummings said.

While the attacks were happening, Harrison and Jackson had lost sight of their friends and were completely unaware of what was going on.

“We finally get to the bottom of the basin, and we, when we finally found them, that’s when Brady was coming down the mountain yelling for help,” Harrison said.

Lowry followed with, “They finally got what I was saying to them and kind of hustled up to where I was at, and we were probably 100, 150 yards below where we got attacked by the bear.”

Jackson remembers the feeling of having to walk back up the mountain to search for Cummings.

“We thought Kendell was dead, really, and we were honestly prepared to go up there and find his body,” Jackson said.

But he wasn’t dead. He had gone limp during the second attack and believes that is why the bear left him alone. After three minutes of lying, waiting to make sure the bear was gone, he got up and started walking down the mountain.

“I got about halfway [down] before I could hear August yelling at me and I kind of yelled back, and then we linked up, and they got me off the mountain,” Cummings recounts.

The young men still had to make their way to a hospital. With the help of farmers in the area, the teammates made it to the trailhead.

“When I was riding in that side-by-side, I was cold, and that’s when it started to hit me that I’d been attacked, and I need some serious help,” Cummings said.

Once at the trailhead, the party met up with local Search and Rescue crews. Cummings was immediately flown by rescue helicopter to a Billings hospital, and Lowry was later transported by ambulance to the same hospital. Both sustained serious injuries but have since been released from the hospital.

“I thank, you know, every one of them, and I’m sure Kendell does, too. We really, it was a miracle that everything was a miracle, the whole story,” Lowry said.

“I’m just glad they’re both out now, and we can be together,” Jackson followed.

The young men anticipate getting back on the wrestling mat eventually, but for now, Cummings is home in Evanston, Wyoming, to continue recovery.

Hailey Monaco at KTVQ first reported this story.

WAUKESHA, Wis. —

The Waukesha Christmas Parade returned to downtown Waukesha Sunday one year after a driver plowed through the same event killing six people and injuring dozens more.

The theme of this year's parade was Peace on Earth.

There were 80 groups marching in the parade, many of which are the same that were struck by tragedy including the Waukesha Blazers baseball club, the Dancing Grannies and Catholic Communities of Waukesha.

Several floats were decorated by Waukesha South High School band members and other students in honor of last year's victims.

Terry Rutledge has been a part of the Waukesha community for 45 years and was in the parade last year with the Salvation Army.

On Sunday, he drove a decorated plow.

Emotions were running high not only for the people who performed in the parade but also for those who attended.

"Last year after the parade we all came together, and it's just nice that even a year later, we're all still together, so it kind of solidified the whole community and kept us solidified for the whole year. The spirit never went away for Waukesha Strong," said Andrea Dorantes, who attended last year's parade.

Santa and Mrs. Claus were the last attraction in the parade.

The parade started at 4 p.m. along a new route and ended just before 5:30 p.m.

It began at Cutler Park, near Maple and Wisconsin avenues. It then went east along Main Street, south on Barstow Street and ended back at Cutler Park.

For some, it was an opportunity to heal.

"It's a very full circle moment being back. Immediately after the events of last year I started therapy so that way I could start healing right away so this is definitely the last step in my healing process," said Joe Eisenman, who attended last year's parade.

For others, like Eisenman's father, it was an opportunity to offer support.

"I just went through everything that he went through last year. We weren't here but we went through it when he was here," said Chris Eisenman.

The parade offered an opportunity for Waukesha to redefine its Christmas parade.

"Last year brought a lot of terror and a lot of confusion, but this year I honestly see nothing but happiness. That's definitely something that's different, but it's also definitely something that's amazing," said Joe Eisenman.

Parade attendees created good memories to overshadow the bad ones.

"We were here right in front of the Dancing Granny troop. So we saw a lot that day so it'll be good to see them back in the parade," said Dorantes.

Healing Hearts of Wisconsin was on hand at Sunday's parade. The organization provides support for grieving children and their families. They had a tent sent up at Cutler Park. The group also had personnel along the parade route to provide support to those struggling.

SAN FRANCISCO —

The man accused of attacking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband entered a second not guilty plea to state charges Wednesday and waived his right to a speedy trial.

David DePape -- who is charged with a litany of crimes, including assault and attempted murder -- made the plea in San Francisco superior court.

Appearing before Judge Teresa Caffese, DePape said only a single word in court, answering "yes," when asked if he was waiving his right to a speedy trial. He is scheduled to return to San Francisco superior court in February when a trial date is expected to be set.

A second arraignment for felony charges is customary in California following a preliminary hearing in which a defendant is held to answer to all charges. DePape had pleaded not guilty during an initial appearance in early November shortly after his arrest.

DePape, who has also pleaded not guilty to a list of federal charges, had broken into the Pelosis' home in October and attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer, according to court documents.

He told federal investigators that he was looking for Nancy Pelosi, and he said that he planned to kidnap the House speaker and break "her kneecaps" if she lied, according to the affidavit. CNN has previously reported DePape shouted, "Where's Nancy?" as he entered the home.

DePape told officers and medics at the scene that he was sick of the "level of lies" coming from Washington, DC, and "came here to have a little chat with his wife," according to a court filing. "I didn't really want to hurt him, but you know this was a suicide mission. I'm not going to stand here and do nothing even if it cost me my life."

Following the attack, Paul Pelosi had surgery "to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands," Drew Hammill, a spokesman for the speaker, said in a statement at the time.

DePape had also planned to target President Joe Biden's son Hunter, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and actor Tom Hanks, a San Francisco Police Department official testified this month.

DePape "will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and held accountable for his heinous crimes," San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a statement following the arraignment Wednesday.

Public defender Adam Lipson declined to comment after Wednesday's quick procedural hearing. One of the Pelosis' daughters, Christine Pelosi, was in attendance at the hearing.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Footage of the attack on former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband will be released to the public after a judge on Wednesday denied prosecutors' request to keep it secret.

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Stephen M. Murphy ruled there was no reason to keep the footage secret, especially after prosecutors played it in open court during a preliminary hearing last month, according to Thomas R. Burke, a San Francisco-based lawyer who represented The Associated Press and a host of other news agencies in their attempt to access the evidence.

The San Francisco District Attorney's Office handed over the evidence to Murphy on Wednesday following a court hearing. Murphy asked the court clerk's office to distribute it to the media, which could happen as soon as Thursday.

Paul Pelosi, Nancy Pelosi's husband, was asleep at the couple's San Francisco home on Oct. 28 when someone broke in and beat him with a hammer. Prosecutors have charged 42-year-old David DePape in connection with the attack.

During a preliminary hearing last month, prosecutors played portions of Paul Pelosi's 911 call plus footage from Capitol police surveillance cameras, body cameras worn by the two police officers who arrived at the house, and video from DePape's interview with police.

But when news organizations asked for copies of that evidence, the San Francisco District Attorney's Office refused to release it. The attack, which occurred just days before the 2022 midterm elections, prompted intense speculation from the public that fueled the spread of false information.

The district attorney's office argued releasing the footage publicly would only allow people to manipulate it in their quest to spread false information.

But the news agencies argued it was vital for prosecutors to publicly share their evidence that could debunk any false information swirling on the internet about the attack.

“You don't eliminate the public right of access just because of concerns about conspiracy theories,” Burke said.

The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office did not respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment.

The news agencies who sought the release of the footage includes The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Press Democrat, CNN, Fox News, CBS, ABC, NBC and KQED, an NPR-member radio station in San Francisco.

DePape pleaded not guilty last month to six charges, including attempted murder. Police have said DePape told them there was “evil in Washington” and he wanted to harm Nancy Pelosi because she was second in line to the presidency. His case is pending.

Democrats lost their majority in the House of Representatives after the midterm elections. Republicans elected California Republican U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy as the new speaker. Pelosi will remain in Congress, but she stepped down as Democratic leader. She was replaced by Hakeem Jeffries from New York.

There were numerous attacks on a New Hampshire family's pet on St. Patrick’s Day.

Video shows an owl trying to attack Buddy the parrot.

While celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with her family, Cynthia Auger of Merrimack, New Hampshire, heard a large bang.

"So I came in and I looked out the windows, and all of a sudden in the tree, I could see this big, huge owl," Auger said.

The owl was looking to make Buddy the parrot a snack.

"The owl started to move a little bit. Then flew, and bang." Auger said. "We were all just 'Oh my gosh, what's happening?'"

After numerous tries of breaking through Buddy's window, the owl finally flew away.

Buddy was safe, or so the family thought.

"We hear Buddy freaking out," Auger said. "Squawking, screeching, and flapping around."

The owl came back.

"I looked down and there's the owl in the snow below the window staring at the bird cage," Auger said.

Auger said she was worried that the owl would break through the window.

The next night the owl came back, just staring at Buddy for hours.

Sister station WMUR spoke to Maria Colby, owner of the nonprofit Wings Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Henniker, New Hampshire, about the situation.

"This happens usually a couple of times a year," Colby said.

She said the culprit is a barred owl, which can be found all over New Hampshire. They can go after smaller birds, but it's not their favorite.

Her advice to make sure this doesn't happen again was short and simple.

"Move the bird so the owl doesn't see the bird, or pull down the shades," Colby said.

Buddy the parrot remains safe.

Auger said she's never seen an owl in her neighborhood until the night of the incident.

Video above: Liquor stores dump Russian vodka after invasion in Ukraine

Since Russian forces invaded Ukraine, many in the world have come together to protest the action.

That includes artists who were scheduled to perform in Russia.

The following is a list of musicians who have canceled their shows:

Green Day

The punk-infused rock band had been scheduled to play Moscow's Spartak Stadium in May as part of their Hella Mega Tour.

On Sunday they announced on their verified Instagram account that they were canceling.

"We are aware that this moment is not about stadium rock shows, it's so much bigger than that," their posted statement read. "But we also know that rock and roll is forever and we feel confident there will be a time and a place for us to return in the future. Refunds available at the point of purchase. Stay safe."

AJR

Indie pop trio AJR tweeted on Feb. 25 they were canceling a show scheduled in Moscow for October, along with some words of wisdom about misinformation.

"We are sad to announce that we will be cancelling our upcoming show in Russia," the group, made up of brothers dam, Jack, and Ryan Met, tweeted. "Thank you to our Russian fans who oppose their country's unprovoked and criminal behavior. Our hearts are with the people of Ukraine. At this point, the best thing you can do is share ACCURATE info."

Louis Tomlinson

The former One Direction member had shows planned in both Moscow and Kyiv's Stereo Plaza in Ukraine in July as part of his 2022 World Tour.

On Monday he tweeted that the concerts would not be happening.

"Due to the recent events in Ukraine, I have to sadly announce that my tour shows in Moscow and Kyiv are cancelled until further notice," his note posted on Twitter read. "The safety of my fans is my priority and my thoughts go out to the people of Ukraine and all those suffering from this needless war."

Health

Rock band Health also announced Monday that they would not be performing their two scheduled concerts in Russia.

"Though we do not wish to penalize our fans for governmental decisions that are beyond their control, given the current state of affairs we will no longer be performing our previously scheduled shows in St. Petersburg and Moscow," a statement shared to Instagram read. "Our thoughts go our to the people of Ukraine."

Yungblud

The British artist said in a statement Monday that he will not be performing in Russia this summer.

"I'm heartbroken to announce I will be cancelling my Russian shows scheduled for this summer," the statement read. "Heartbroken because I know the vicious and brutal acts of the Russian regime in Ukraine over the past week do not reflect the attitudes and ideals of the beautiful people who I have met in Russia in the past!"

To the Ukranians he wrote, "My heart is with you -- you've already shown such strength and determination, resisting this needless invasion."

"Everyone deserves to be the creator of their own destiny, rather than having it forced upon them by acts of war and aggression," he wrote. "Ukraine, I promise I'll come back as soon as I can!"

The head of the U.S. Capitol Police will resign effective Jan. 16 following the breach of the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.

Chief Steven Sund said Thursday that police had planned for a free speech demonstration and did not expect the violent attack. He said it was unlike anything he’d experienced in his 30 years in law enforcement.

He resigned Thursday after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on him to step down. His resignation was confirmed to The Associated Press by a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly.

The breach halted the effort by Congress to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Protesters stormed the building and occupied for hours. The lawmakers eventually returned and finished their work.

Related video: Capitol police outnumbered as rioters lay siege

Journalists were manhandled, threatened and had their equipment stolen or damaged by supporters of President Donald Trump during this week's riot at the U.S. Capitol.

The attacks, including a chilling scene distributed on social media of a photographer for The Associated Press being shoved around, led the National Press Photographers Association to call on authorities to investigate and prosecute people who targeted journalists.

“To do our jobs, photojournalists must be on the front lines to record the news,” the association said in a statement. “The threats, violence and aggression toward visual journalists are unconscionable acts that erode our democracy and our country's First Amendment rights.”

In one striking image, the words “Murder the Media” were scrawled on an indoor doorway at the Capitol.

The AP photographer, John Minchillo, is shown in a video taken by a colleague, being pushed, pulled and punched by a group of men standing outside of the Capitol. Some of the attackers are heard accusing him of being part of the left-wing group Antifa; Minchillo holds up his hands and show his press pass.

After about a minute, one of the demonstrators guides him away from his attackers. Minchillo stayed on the job.

Minchillo declined comment on Friday. On Twitter, he wrote, “Never become the story, that's the core principle. If I could ask for something? Don't linger on the outrage for too long.”

But he asked anyone who sees his message to reflect on the importance of journalism and subscribe to a local newspaper.

“While we are thankful he is OK, this is a reminder of the dangers journalists both in the U.S. and around the world face every day while simply trying to do their jobs,” said Patrick Maks, a spokesperson for the AP.

Another group of AP journalists on Wednesday had photographic equipment stolen and trashed outside the Capitol. One picture on social media saw electrical cords tied into a noose.

There were other incidents. Erin Schaff, a photojournalist for The New York Times, wrote in the newspaper about being surrounded by two or three men while in the Capitol who demanded to know who she worked for. One grabbed her press pass, saw she worked for the Times and she was thrown to the floor. One of her cameras was ripped away from her and the lens was broken on another, she wrote.

After being knocked to the ground, she screamed for help as loudly as she could.

“People just watched,” she wrote.

Police eventually came, but drew their guns and ordered her back on the ground. At that point, two other photojournalists vouched for her, she said.

Amanda Andrade-Rhoades, a photojournalist on assignment for The Washington Post, told the Committee to Protect Journalists that she had three different people threaten to shoot her on Wednesday. One man told her, “I'm coming back with a gun tomorrow and I'm coming for you,” she said.

“Journalists covering a democratic transition of power in Washington shouldn't have to run for cover,” said Mark Lodato, dean of Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Communications. “We've hit bottom.”

BOSTON —

Boston Marathon bombing survivor Jacqui Webb was greeted by a familiar face after giving birth to her daughter, Ella, last month — one of the nurses who cared for her after the 2013 attack.

Webb spent three weeks at Tufts Medical Center in Boston after suffering life-threatening wounds when a pair of bombs exploded near the finish line of the iconic race, killing three people and wounding at least 264 others.

She can't say enough good things about the quality of care she got following her injury.

"I thank my lucky stars every day that I was brought to that hospital," Webb said. "And I think when I walked out of there, eight years ago, I said, if I ever had a baby, I'll be back at that hospital."

Webb was due to give birth on Aug. 29, but had scheduled a cesarean section on Aug. 22 in hopes of avoiding the stress of being rushed to the hospital. She went into labor a day early, so her surgery was pushed up.

Ella Webb Norden was born late on Aug. 21 and weighed 8 pounds, 5 ounces.

Nichole Casper was one of the nurses who took care of Webb after the bombing and happened to be on duty that night. Casper has worked in the hospital's Mother-Infant Unit for about four years.

Casper had gotten to know Webb and her family during her time in the hospital, but hadn't seen her since.

Video above: Boston honors Marathon victims

She recognized Webb and her fiancé, Paul Norden's, names on the list of incoming patients. Norden and his brother, J.P., each lost their right legs in the bombing.

Casper was in the hallway to get Webb to her room when she was brought in from delivery on a stretcher.

"I think I just looked at her and said, 'Long time no see' and she kind of looked at me and she was a little dazed," Casper said. "She was like, 'Oh hi! They told me you were up here waiting for me.' So it was cute because they were trying to keep her calm downstairs, so they had told her that I was working."

Webb was just coming out of surgery, so their first reunion was a little fuzzy.

"I do remember that I was just elated to see her," Webb said.

Webb, Norden and their new baby, were in the hospital for three days, and Casper picked up an extra night shift, so she could be there for their entire stay.

"I was just excited to see her and catch up," Webb said.

She said it was very comforting to be treated by people who understand what she went through and don't need to be walked through her complex medical history.

"I believe that the whole kind of staff went through that trauma or tragedy with me, and so I just think that they understand it on a different level," Webb said.

She said she didn't think she would have been able to recover from her injuries as well as she had without the hospital staff, so she was glad to be able to share a happy moment with them.

Casper, who has been a nurse for almost 21 years, said she has seen many patients suffering at the worst moments of their lives, but doesn't often get to see their successes after they leave the hospital. The bombing and memories of those patients have stuck with her over the years.

"It was a horrifying time, it was one of the worst times in my nursing career seeing those people that injured," Casper said. "To be able to see her have a brand-new baby and see her with Paul, it made me extremely happy. You know, it was just something that I'll probably never experience again in my career."

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. —

A woman who was attacked by an alligator Thursday morning in Hilton Head, South Carolina, is alive thanks to some quick-thinking neighbors.

According to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office, the attack happened at around 8:15 a.m. on Rookery Way in Hilton Head Plantation.

Deputies say the woman had been walking her dog next to a lagoon behind her home when an eight-foot-long alligator grabbed her legs.

At that point, a neighbor heard the commotion and saw the woman being dragged into the water, according to the sheriff's office. The neighbor called for her husband who grabbed a shovel and beat the alligator until it released the victim.

"The victim’s legs were damaged; however, the full extent of her injuries is unknown, nor do we know if there were any other injuries to the victim," a Hilton Head Plantation (HHP) representative said in an email to residents.

The victim was taken to Memorial Health in Savannah and was able to talk to her daughter while en route to the hospital.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources captured and euthanized the alligator and will examine it to see if it was being fed.

"We are very grateful for the quick thinking and brave neighbors who fought off the alligator and held onto the victim who was being pulled into the water by the alligator. We are also most grateful for the work of our Security Officers and HHI Fire and Rescue, who treated the victim at the scene and transported the victim to the hospital, SCDNR, for their quick response to remove the alligator and the Beaufort County Sherriff’s Deputies for their quick response and assistance," the HHP representative said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victim and her family."

HHP added that they believe the victim lived alone.

As of Thursday afternoon, there was no information available on the victim's injuries or condition. Her dog was uninjured.

“This is an unfortunate incident. We advise residents to be aware of their surroundings, especially if they are taking walks with small pets near lagoons that are habitats for alligators,” said Joheida Fister, Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue Deputy Chief.

A longtime resident of Hilton Head Plantation, Neal Warner, told sister station WJCL he's seen alligators in the area before, but they never bothered anyone.

"I would see them pop into the water, they would never ever linger for us," Warner said.

Warner told WJCL he is now afraid to walk his own dog in the area where the attack happened, despite the alligator being removed.

"It's just not worth it, there are other places to safely walk," Warner said.

You may remember, there have been alligator attacks in Sun City and Sea Pines as well. Both of those incidents also involved someone walking their dog.

Watch the video above for more on this story

KABUL, Afghanistan —

The Taliban have captured a large, heavily defended city in northern Afghanistan in a major setback for the government, and the insurgents are approaching the capital less than three weeks before the U.S. hopes to complete its troop withdrawal.

The fall of Mazar-e-Sharif, the country's fourth largest city, which Afghan forces and two powerful former warlords had pledged to defend, hands the insurgents control over all of northern Afghanistan, confining the Western-backed government to the center and east.

Abas Ebrahimzada, a lawmaker from the Balkh province where the city is located, said the national army surrendered first, which prompted pro-government militias and other forces to lose morale and give up in the face of a Taliban onslaught launched earlier Saturday.

Ebrahimzada said Abdul Rashid Dostum and Ata Mohammad Noor, former warlords who command thousands of fighters, had fled the province and their whereabouts were unknown.

The Taliban have made major advances in recent days, including capturing Herat and Kandahar, the country’s second- and third-largest cities. They now control about 23 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, leaving the Western-backed government with a smattering of provinces in the center and east, as well as the capital, Kabul.

On Saturday, the Taliban captured all of Logar province, just south of Kabul, and detained local officials, said Hoda Ahmadi, a lawmaker from the province. She said the Taliban have reached the Char Asyab district, just 7 miles south of the capital.

Later, the insurgents took over Mihterlam, the capital of Laghman province, northeast of Kabul, without a fight, according to Zefon Safi, a lawmaker from the province.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had flown to Mazar-e-Sharif on Wednesday to rally the city’s defenses, meeting with several militia commanders, including Dostum and Noor.

On Saturday, Ghani delivered a televised speech, his first public appearance since the recent Taliban gains. He vowed not to give up the "achievements" of the 20 years since the U.S. toppled the Taliban after the 9/11 attacks.

The U.S. has continued holding peace talks between the government and the Taliban in Qatar this week, and the international community has warned that a Taliban government brought about by force would be shunned. But the insurgents appear to have little interest in making concessions as they rack up victories on the battlefield.

"We have started consultations, inside the government with elders and political leaders, representatives of different levels of the community as well as our international allies," Ghani said. "Soon the results will be shared with you," he added, without elaborating further.

Hours later, his forces suffered one of the biggest setbacks since the Taliban offensive began.

Mazar-e-Sharif, home to a famous blue-tiled Muslim shrine, was a stronghold of the Northern Alliance, ethnic militias who helped the U.S. topple the Taliban in 2001.

In 1997, as many as 2,000 Taliban fighters were captured and killed by forces loyal to Mohammed Mohaqiq, a Shiite Hazara leader, and his ethnic Uzbek allies. The following year, the Taliban returned and killed thousands of Hazaras in Mazar-e-Sharif in a revenge attack.

Several makeshift camps had sprung up around Mazar-e-Sharif where mostly ethnic Hazaras had taken shelter after fleeing their homes in outlying areas. They said the Taliban had detained relatives who sought to leave their districts and in some cases burned schools.

Tens of thousands of Afghans have fled their homes, with many fearing a return to the Taliban’s oppressive rule. The group had previously governed Afghanistan under a harsh version of Islamic law in which women were forbidden to work or attend school, and could not leave their homes without a male relative accompanying them.

Salima Mazari, one of the few female district governors in the country, expressed fears about a Taliban takeover earlier Saturday in an interview from Mazar-e-Sharif, before it fell.

"There will be no place for women," said Mazari, who governs a district of 36,000 people near the northern city. "In the provinces controlled by the Taliban, no women exist there anymore, not even in the cities. They are all imprisoned in their homes."

The Taliban also captured the capital of Paktika, bordering Pakistan, according to Khalid Asad, a lawmaker from the province. He said fighting broke out in Sharana early Saturday but ended after local elders intervened to negotiate a pullout. The small province of Kunar, also bordering Pakistan, fell without a fight, according to Neamatullah Karyab, a lawmaker from the area.

Sayed Hussan Gerdezi, a lawmaker from the neighboring Paktia province, said the Taliban seized most of its local capital, Gardez, but that battles with government forces were still underway. The Taliban said they controlled the city.

The Taliban also took control of Maimana, the capital of northern Faryab province, said Fawzia Raoufi, a lawmaker from the province.

The withdrawal of foreign troops and the swift collapse of Afghanistan's own forces — despite hundreds of billions of dollars in U.S. aid over the years — has raised fears the Taliban could return to power or that the country could be shattered by factional fighting, as it was after the Soviet withdrawal in 1989. It's also prompted many American and Afghan veterans of the conflict to question whether two decades of blood and treasure was worth it.

Afghans have been streaming into Kabul's international airport in recent days, desperate to fly out, even as more American troops have arrived to help partially evacuate the U.S. Embassy.

The first Marines from a contingent of 3,000 arrived Friday. The rest are expected by Sunday, and their deployment has raised questions about whether the administration will meet its Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline.

The U.S. Air Force has carried out several airstrikes to aid its Afghan allies on the ground but they appear to have done little to stem the Taliban's advance. A B-52 bomber and other warplanes traversed the country's airspace Saturday, flight-tracking data showed.

The Taliban meanwhile released a video announcing the takeover of the main radio station in the southern city of Kandahar, which fell to the insurgents earlier this week, renaming it the Voice of Sharia, or Islamic law.

In the video, an unnamed insurgent said all employees were present and would broadcast news, political analysis and recitations of the Quran, the Islamic holy book. It appears the station will no longer play music. It was not clear if the Taliban had purged the previous employees or allowed them to return to work.

The U.S. invaded shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, which al-Qaida planned and carried out while being sheltered by Taliban. After rapidly ousting the Taliban, the U.S. shifted toward nation-building, hoping to create a modern Afghan state after decades of war and unrest.

Earlier this year, President Joe Biden announced a timeline for the withdrawal of all U.S. troops by the end of August, pledging to end America's longest war. His predecessor, President Donald Trump, had reached an agreement with the Taliban to pave the way for a U.S. pullout.

Biden's announcement set the latest offensive in motion. The Taliban, who have long controlled large parts of the Afghan countryside, moved quickly to seize provincial capitals, border crossings and other key infrastructure.

"The security situation in the city is getting worse," said Kawa Basharat, a resident in Mazar-e-Sharif, hours before the city fell. "I want peace and stability; the fighting should be stopped."

___

Rahim reported from Istanbul and Krauss reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Ahmad Seir in Kabul, Afghanistan contributed.

Related video: Biden to speak to Russia about JBS cyberattackThe meat supplier JBS USA paid an $11 million ransom in response to a cyberattack that led to the shutdown of its entire U.S. beef processing operation last week, the company said in a statement Wednesday evening.The ransom was paid after most of the company's facilities had come back online, JBS said."This was a very difficult decision to make for our company and for me personally," said Andre Nogueira, CEO of JBS USA, in the statement. "However, we felt this decision had to be made to prevent any potential risk for our customers." JBS's payment was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.The cyberattack affected servers supporting JBS's IT systems in North America and Australia. The U.S. government has attributed the ransomware attack to REvil, a criminal gang believed to be based in Russia or Eastern Europe."Preliminary investigation results confirm that no company, customer or employee data was compromised," JBS said in Wednesday's statement.JBS USA is part of JBS Foods, which it says is one of the world's largest food companies. It has operations in 15 countries and has customers in about 100 countries, according to its website. Its brands include Pilgrim's, Great Southern and Aberdeen Black.

The Justice Department is dismissing a case against a New York man charged in connection to the Jan. 6 deadly attack on the Capitol.

It's the first time the agency is dropping a charge related to the January 6 riot.

The man was charged after the FBI says it received an anonymous tip showing the man at the Capitol. It's unclear why prosecutors moved to drop the case.

In the motion seeking dismissal, prosecutors wrote "the government and defense counsel have discussed the merits of the case, and upon reflection of the facts currently known to the government, the government believes that dismissal without prejudice at this time serves the interests of justice.”

More than 400 people have been charged so far in connection with the violent attack at the U.S. Capitol Building.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is ruling out a presidential commission to review what happened on Jan. 6.

Instead, she laid out other options for investigating the attack, including having the House look into it.

Remember, last week Senate Republicans blocked an independent commission that would review the attack.

Simon Kaufman and Alex Livingston on Newsy.com contributed to this report.

Senate Republicans are poised to block the creation of a special commission to study the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, dashing hopes for a bipartisan panel amid a GOP push to put the violent insurrection by Donald Trump’s supporters behind them.

Broad Republican opposition was expected in what would be the first successful Senate filibuster of the Biden presidency, even as the family of a Capitol Police officer who collapsed and died after the siege and other officers who battled rioters went office to office asking GOP senators to support the commission. The insurrection was the worst attack on the Capitol in 200 years and interrupted the certification of Democrat Joe Biden's win over Trump.

A vote on the procedural motion was bumped to Friday after delays on an unrelated bill to boost scientific research and development pushed back the schedule.

Though the Jan. 6 commission bill passed the House earlier this month with the support of almost three dozen Republicans, GOP senators said they believe the commission would eventually be used against them politically. And former President Trump, who still has a firm hold on the party, has called it a “Democrat trap.”

The expected vote is emblematic of the profound mistrust between the two parties since the siege, which has sowed deeper divisions on Capitol Hill even though lawmakers in the two parties fled together from the rioters that day. The events of Jan. 6 have become an increasingly fraught topic among Republicans as some in the party have downplayed the violence and defended the rioters who supported Trump and his false insistence that the election was stolen from him.

While initially saying he was open to the idea of the commission, which would be modeled after an investigation of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell turned firmly against it in recent days. He has said he believes the panel's investigation would be partisan despite the even split among party members.

McConnell, who once said Trump was responsible for provoking the mob attack on the Capitol, said of Democrats, “They’d like to continue to litigate the former president, into the future.”

Still, a handful of Republicans — if not enough to save it — were expected to vote to move forward with the bill. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski has said she will support the legislation because she needs to know more about what happened that day and why.

“Truth is hard stuff, but we’ve got a responsibility to it,” she told reporters Thursday evening. “We just can’t pretend that nothing bad happened, or that people just got too excitable. Something bad happened. And it’s important to lay that out.”

Of her colleagues opposing the commission, Murkowski said some are concerned that “we don’t want to rock the boat.”

The Republican opposition to the bipartisan panel has revived Democratic pressure to do away with the filibuster, a time-honored Senate tradition that requires a vote by 60 of the 100 senators to cut off debate and advance a bill. With the Senate evenly split 50-50, Democrats need support of 10 Republicans to move to the commission bill, sparking fresh debate over whether the time has come to change the rules and lower the threshold to 51 votes to take up legislation.

The Republicans' political arguments over the violent siege — which is still raw for many in the Capitol, almost five months later — have frustrated not only Democrats but also those who fought off the rioters.

Michael Fanone, a Metropolitan Police Department officer who responded to the attack, said between meetings with Republican senators that a commission is “necessary for us to heal as a nation from the trauma that we all experienced that day.” Fanone has described being dragged down the Capitol steps by rioters who shocked him with a stun gun and beat him.

Sandra Garza, the girlfriend of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who collapsed and died after battling the rioters, said of the Republican senators, “You know they are here today and with their families and comfortable because of the actions of law enforcement that day."

“So I don’t understand why they would resist getting to the bottom of what happened that day and fully understanding how to prevent it. Just boggles my mind,” she said.

Video of the rioting shows two men spraying Sicknick and another officer with a chemical, but the Washington medical examiner said he suffered a stroke and died from natural causes.

Garza attended the meetings with Sicknick’s mother, Gladys Sicknick. In a statement Wednesday, Mrs. Sicknick suggested the opponents of the commission "visit my son’s grave in Arlington National Cemetery and, while there, think about what their hurtful decisions will do to those officers who will be there for them going forward.”

Dozens of other police officers were injured as the rioters pushed past them, breaking through windows and doors and hunting for lawmakers. The protesters constructed a mock gallows in front of the Capitol and called for the hanging of Vice President Mike Pence, who was overseeing the certification of the presidential vote. Four protesters died, including a woman who was shot and killed by police as she tried to break into the House chamber with lawmakers still inside.

“We have a mob overtake the Capitol, and we can’t get the Republicans to join us in making historic record of that event? That is sad,” said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Senate Democrat. “That tells you what’s wrong with the Senate and what’s wrong with the filibuster.”

Many Democrats are warning that if Republicans are willing to use the filibuster to stop an arguably popular measure, it shows the limits of trying to broker compromises, particularly on bills related to election reforms or other aspects of the Democrats' agenda.

For now, though, Democrats don't have the votes to change the rule. West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, both moderate Democrats, have said they want to preserve the filibuster.

Biden, asked about the commission at a stop in Cleveland, said Thursday, “I can’t imagine anyone voting against” it.

Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who once supported the idea of the commission, said he now believes Democrats are trying to use it as a political tool.

“I don’t think this is the only way to get to the bottom of what happened,” Cornyn said, noting that Senate committees are also looking at the siege.

___

Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Colleen Long and Padmananda Rama contributed to this report.