KABUL, Afghanistan — A firefight just outside Kabul’s international airport killed at least one Afghan soldier early Monday, German officials said, the latest chaos to engulf Western efforts to evacuate those fleeing the Taliban takeover of the country.

The airport shooting came as the Taliban sent fighters north of the capital to eliminate pockets of armed resistance to their lightning takeover earlier this month. The Taliban said they retook three districts seized by opponents the day before and had surrounded Panjshir, the last province that remains out of their control.

Afghanistan’s security forces collapsed in the face of the Taliban advance, despite 20 years of Western aid, training and assistance. Tens of thousands of Afghans have sought to flee the country since, fearing a return to the brutal rule the Taliban imposed the last time they ran Afghanistan. That has led to chaos at the airport in Kabul, the main route out of the country.

Gunfire broke out near an entrance to the airport, where at least seven Afghans died a day earlier in a panicked stampede of thousands of people. The circumstances of the shooting, which occurred around dawn, remained unclear.

The German military tweeted that one member of the Afghan army was killed and three others were wounded by “unknown attackers.” An Italian humanitarian organization that operates hospitals in Afghanistan said it had treated six patients with bullet wounds from the airport.

The U.S. military and NATO did not immediately acknowledge the shooting. There was no comment from the Taliban.

The tragic scenes around the airport have transfixed the world. Afghans poured onto the tarmac last week and some clung to a U.S. military transport plane as it took off, later plunging to their deaths. At least seven people died that day, in addition to the seven killed Sunday.

The Taliban blame the chaotic evacuation on the U.S. military and say there’s no need for any Afghans to flee. They have pledged to bring peace and security after decades of war and say they won’t seek revenge on those who worked with the U.S., NATO and the toppled Afghan government.

Addressing a conference of Muslim clerics, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid urged them to push back against Western “propaganda” about the Taliban and said the U.S. was undermining the their rule by sending planes and offering Afghans asylum.

Despite their promises, the Taliban have violently suppressed protests and beat people with batons as they try to control the crowds outside the airport perimeter. There have also been reports in recent days of the Taliban hunting down their former enemies. It’s unclear if Taliban leaders are saying one thing and doing another, or if fighters on the ground are taking matters into their own hands.

German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer told the Bild newspaper that the main obstacle to getting people out was the crowds outside the airport.

“We must switch much more to picking people up, so to speak, and we are doing that,” Kramp-Karrenbauer said.

Asked about Taliban assurances of safe passage to the airport she said: “So far, I can say that what we need is being granted; the danger comes more from these uncontrollable crowds of people.”

As the airlift continues, the U.S. government asked for 18 aircraft from American commercial carriers to assist in transporting Afghan refugees to their final destinations after their initial evacuation. The request fell under the Civil Reserve Air Fleet program, which was born in the wake of the Berlin airlift and can add to the military’s capabilities during crises.

Since Aug. 14, the U.S. has evacuated or facilitated the evacuation of more than 30,000 people on military and coalition flights. Tens of thousands of people — Americans, other foreigners and Afghans who assisted in the war effort — are still waiting to join the airlift, which has been slowed by security issues and U.S. bureaucracy hurdles.

U.S. President Joe Biden said Sunday he would not rule out extending the evacuation beyond Aug. 31, the date he had set for completing the withdrawal of U.S. forces. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to press Biden for an extension.

But Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen, in an interview with Sky News, said Aug. 31 is a “red line” and that extending the American presence would “provoke a reaction.”

There are also concerns that a local affiliate of the Islamic State group might target the crowds outside the airport with suicide bombers or fire missiles at U.S. aircraft. Military planes have been executing corkscrew landings, and other aircraft have fired flares upon takeoff — both measures used to avoid missile attacks.

The Taliban and IS have different ideologies and have fought in recent years, but one concern about the Taliban’s takeover is that they could again shelter extremist groups. The Taliban harbored al-Qaida while it orchestrated the 9/11 attacks, leading to the U.S. invasion in 2001. The Taliban now say they will not allow Afghanistan to be a base for attacks on other countries.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, the Taliban have faced limited armed resistance from fighters in Baghlan province, some 75 miles north of Kabul. The anti-Taliban fighters claimed to have seized three districts in the Andarab Valley on Sunday, but the Taliban said Monday that they had cleared them out overnight.

Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, said the group’s forces have also surrounded nearby Panjshir, the only one of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces yet to fall to the fighters.

Several Taliban opponents have gathered there, including Amrullah Saleh, the vice president in the toppled government who claims to be the acting president. Ahmad Massoud, son of the slain commander of the Northern Alliance militias that partnered with the U.S. to drive the Taliban from power in 2001, is also in Panjshir.

In interviews with Arab media outlets over the weekend, Massoud said his fighters would resist any attempt to take the province by force but were open to dialogue with the Taliban.

Mujahid said there had been no fighting in Panjshir yet and that the Taliban are seeking a “peaceful solution.”

___

Faiez reported from Istanbul and Krauss from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Geir Moulson in Berlin, Jill Lawless in London and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates contributed to this report.

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The Big Ten is the latest Power Five conference to announce that a team must forfeit if it doesn’t have enough players available for a league game because of COVID-19.

The Big Ten said Monday the team that forfeits will be assessed a loss in the conference standings and its opponent will be credited with a win. If both teams are unable to compete on the date of a scheduled conference game because of COVID-19, and the game can’t be rescheduled, it will be considered a “no contest.”

The Power Five conferences appear headed toward having similar forfeit policies.

Big 12 teams unable to play because of COVID-19, or any other reason, will have to forfeit and be given a loss in the conference standings. A no contest would be declared only if both teams are unable to compete, and there are no plans to make up any games not played as scheduled.

Pac-12 teams that can’t play will forfeit, but the conference did not directly address what happens if both teams are unable to play.

The Southeastern Conference has not released its policy, but Commissioner Greg Sankey has warned that teams that can’t play will forfeit and that games will not be rescheduled.

In the ACC, teams forfeiting games will be assigned a loss in the standings, and the team that was prepared to play will be awarded a victory. If both teams are unable to play because of the player shortages, both will be forced to forfeit.

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The Bears gave up a haul of assets to land outside linebacker Khalil Mack in 2018 and he was exactly the game-changer they needed that season. Since then, though, his production hasn’t been quite in line with what he’s been paid.

That, along with the Bears’ salary-cap nightmare in the recent offseason, prompted a trade call from the Raiders. Las Vegas inquired about trading to reacquire Mack, but the Bears turned them down, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur reported.

After trading two first-round picks for Mack, the Bears signed him to a six-year, $141 million contract extension. They restructured that deal this offseason rather than trade him. The reworked contract lowered his cap hit to $14.6 million this season. It spikes to $30.2 million next season if they don’t restructure.

Mack, 30, earned his third all-pro selection in 2018 with 12.5 sacks, six forced fumbles and an interception.

The Raiders’ call was worth a shot. As the Bears clawed to get under the salary cap, they released veteran cornerback Kyle Fuller and left tackle Charles Leno to clear about $20 million in space.

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A whimper. That’s how the Cubs dynasty or near dynasty of the 2010’s ended. The trading of franchise icons Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and closer Craig Kimbrel signaled the end of one of the most dominant runs in recent memory. A run that included 505 wins from 2015 to 2020, 5 playoff berths, 3 division titles and 1 World Series victory in 2016. Cubs fans are about to enter a dark time, possibly darker than the years prior to 2015 but there’s a way forward and it requires a brutally honest at all aspects of the team; the ownership, the front office, the players and the fans.

Stop Sinking Money into Wrigleyville

Since the Ricketts family purchased the team in 2009, they have been committed to not only rebuilding the team but rebuilding Wrigley Field and the surrounding neighborhood. The field additions came first with a new videoboard and more prominent sponsorship signs as well as a completely revamped clubhouse that makes my apartment look like a broom closet. Wrigleyville also got a major facelift as well with the addition of a merchandise store, corporate team offices, a luxury hotel across the street from the ball park and recently, plans for a sports book were approved to be built adjacent to Wrigley Field. 

While these additions have been much needed for a long time, it has also directed capital away from the team and really prohibited the team from signing long term contracts for their beloved players. It’s not a coincidence that everyone traded at the July 31st deadline was a pending free agent. Contract talks for Rizzo stalled out before spring training, Kris Bryant seemed to be an annual victim of arbitration meetings, Baez was going to command a $200 million contract and Kimbrel was likely going to walk anyway after finally figuring out his command into an All Star season for 2021. 

Realistically though, given how MLB contracts have ballooned over the past 20 years, did we all really expect the Cubs to be able to resign all of their big contributors? Rizzo was going to be 33 years old next season and coming to the end of a 7 year deal, Bryant possibly could’ve been signed but his demands might have been too much for the team to acquiesce to considering he managed to command a high salary in arbitration and Baez might have happened but he’s also frustratingly inconsistent. His defense has always been spectacular but he never met a fastball that he didn’t want to hit.

Dump Jason Heyward

Let’s get this out of the way first, Heyward was and is not worth the $184 million contract he signed in December 2015. Heyward has always been a great defensive player but he’s only been to one All Star game in 2010 and has won 2 Gold Glove awards during his time with the Cubs. He’s never been known as a power hitter and he did hit a career high of 27 home runs in 2012, his high with the Cubs has been 21 and has never managed to hit above .300 in any of his seasons in a Cubs uniform.

It’s easy to be sentimental about a player who supposedly fired up the team ahead of the 10th inning in the World Series but the time for sentimentality is over and look at him realistically. During that great 2016 season, he only hit .260 and grounded into more double plays than he hit home runs. The problem is his age and his contract; he’s owed $22 million in 2022 and will be 33 next season so it’s unlikely the team will receive a top prospect but they need pitching help and need to get younger as a team. The team will also need to eat a big chunk of his contract similar to what happened with Milton Bradley and Carlos Zambrano.

Fire David Ross

This may seem like an overreaction but it’s not. The salad days of the 2016 season are far away and Ross is a constant reminder of the fun times that happened during his two seasons as Jon Lester’s personal catcher. He’s also an awful reminder of the front office screwed up Joe Maddon’s exit. His inexperience managing games really comes through at times and he’s simply too close to the players to properly manage them. He’s also presided over 2 separate losings streaks of 11 and 12 games during the 2021 season and seems to only resort to using position players to pitch because he doesn’t know how to manage a bullpen. 

Jed Hoyer Belongs on the Hot Seat

Another overreaction? Possibly but Cubs fans also need to recognize that Theo Epstein isn’t coming back so we can’t pin our hopes on any sort of phoenix allegory but in one season following Epstein’s departure, every franchise icon was traded and the team currently sits at fourth in the NL Central standings (as of August 19, 2021) and has overseen the collapse of a once promising team. Inability to sign plays to long-term deals, the near constant salary arbitration hearings and misfiring on scouting and developing top level pitching talent have all been hallmarks of the Theo & Jed Era of the front office.

Trade Willson Contreras and/or Kyle Hendricks

I know this is going to be like nails on a chalkboard for fans given all of the other trades that occurred but this is one or two trades that should happen at the end of the season. While painful, these moves would be absolutely necessary for the team to improve in the future. Hendricks will be 32 at the start of next season but he’s going to accidentally win 20 games in 2021 simply because he has great control and is probably the only rotation pitcher that gets run support. I’ve personally watched Hendricks pitch several times and he’s going to have a long career because of his control but the Cubs would be wise to entertain trade propositions for him. 

Contreras on the other hand has been something of an enigma during his tenure with the team. He was a key contributor to the 2016 team, has been a two time All Star but has never put up stats similar to other slugging catchers like Buster Posey or JT Realmuto. His defense consistently ranks near the top for other catchers but is also injury prone and often disappears for long stretches of time. One or both of these trades need to happen after the conclusion of the season in order to get back a haul of prospects. Trading away beloved players is always painful but sometimes it needs to happen in order to improve for the future. 

The Fans need to be Patient

“Trust the Process”. Three words that only 76er’s fans should be familiar with but the Cubs are due to enter a dark time for the franchise. Look at the seasons between 2010 and 2014; they had lost 464 games and their All Stars were players like Marlon Byrd, Starlin Castro and Bryan LaHair. They emerged from that dark time to be one of the best contenders in the National League with franchise icons and heart pumping moments. The team will get back to prominence again but it’s going to take time, savvy trades and patience in order to get there. 

Featured Image Credit: Screenshot from Youtube

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At least seven people were killed and 39 others were wounded in weekend gun violence in Chicago that included two mass shootings.

— One of the fatal attacks occurred outside a gas station Saturday morning in Austin on the West Side.

A man, 52, and two women, 62 and 24, were with about 20 other people in the 5100 block of West Madison Street when someone in a black Dodge Charger opened fire about 2:55 a.m., according to Chicago Police.

The man suffered gunshot wounds to the head and leg, the 62-year-old to the head, abdomen and lower backside, and the 24-year-old to the back, police said.

The 62-year-old was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital ,where she died, police said. The 52-year-old was taken to the hospital in critical condition, police said.

The 24-year-old went to Stroger Hospital and was listed in critical condition, police said.

— Later that day, a man was killed in West Garfield Park. The 34-year-old was in a parked car in the 3900 block of West Jackson Boulevard when someone fired shots about 2:05 p.m., police said.

He was shot in the neck and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. He hasn’t been identified.

— Hours later in Back of the Yards, a gunman approached a 19-year-old man in the 4700 block of South Wolcott Avenue and opened fire about 6:40 p.m., Chicago police said.

Israel L. Luna was hit in the chest and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he died, police said.

— Minutes later in Marquette Park, a man was killed and another was critically wounded when someone fired at their car in the 3000 block of West 65th Street about 7 p.m., police said. The driver crashed into a nearby parked car.

Sergio Ochoa, 30, was shot in the head and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

A 36-year-old man was struck in the shoulder and was transported to Holy Cross Hospital in critical condition, police said.

— Around 9:10 p.m. in Calumet Heights, one person was killed and five others wounded when two gunmen opened fire in a parking lot in the 1600 block of East 87th Place, police said.

A 39-year-old man was struck in the abdomen and went to Jackson Park Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. He hasn’t been identified. Another man, 40, was shot in the back and leg and was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition, police said. Another 39-year old man was struck in the ankle and was transported to the hospital in fair condition.

A fourth man, 32, was shot in the leg and went to Trinity Hospital in good condition, police said.

A 44-year-old woman was struck in the leg and went to the University of Chicago Medical Center in fair condition, police said.

The sixth person, 25, was shot in the arm and also went to Trinity Hospital.

— About four hours later, one person was killed and four others wounded in another mass shooting, this one on the West Side. Officers responded to a call about 1 a.m. in the 3400 block of West Lake Street and discovered five people — four males and a female — shot, police said.

Marcus Edwards, 29, was shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

A 17-year-old boy was shot in the shoulder and an 18-year-old woman was wounded in the torso, police said. They were both taken to Stroger where the boy was in fair condition and the woman in serious condition, police said.

A 34-year-old man was shot in the arm and a 28-year-old in the arm and chest, police said. They were both taken to Mount Sinai where they were listed in fair condition, police said.

At least 28 others were wounded in shootings across Chicago between 5 p.m. Friday and 5 a.m. Monday.

Last weekend, 56 people were shot, eight fatally, in Chicago.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

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TORONTO — Miguel Cabrera celebrated with his teammates on the Detroit Tigers. He took a curtain call on the road. He paid tribute to his family, his team and his native country.

It was quite a day, even for one of baseball’s most accomplished sluggers.

Cabrera became the 28th major leaguer to hit 500 home runs, reaching the milestone in the sixth inning Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The 38-year-old Cabrera connected on a 1-1 pitch from left-hander Steven Matz, sending the ball over the scoreboard in right-center field. Measured at 400 feet, the homer tied it at 1.

Many of the 14,685 fans at Rogers Centre rose for a standing ovation as Cabrera rounded the bases. After celebrating with his teammates, he came out of the dugout to accept a curtain call, taking off his helmet and bowing to the crowd behind Detroit’s dugout.

Cabrera, who won the Triple Crown and the first of back-to-back MVP awards in 2012, is the first Venezuelan to hit 500 homers. He is hoping to become the first hitter to reach 500 homers and 3,000 hits in the same season.

“It’s something special for my country, for my family, to be able to do this,” he said after Detroit’s 5-3 victory. “I’m really happy.”

Jeimer Candelario, who was on deck, was the first teammate to celebrate with Cabrera.

“When he hit that ball, I knew something special was about to happen and history was about to happen,” Candelario said. “For me, being a part of that is a blessing. It helped us to win a ballgame, too.”

Cabrera’s 500th home run was hit No. 2,955 of his career, and he can reach that 3,000 milestone this year, too, if he can stay healthy and average one hit per game. Only six players have 3,000 hits and 500 homers: Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Rafael Palmeiro, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez and Eddie Murray.

His pursuit of these big numbers has become a bright spot for a Detroit team that finally seems to be emerging from a difficult rebuild, approaching a .500 record.

Cabrera is the sixth player born outside the United States to reach 500 homers. He joins Pujols, Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa, Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz, who reached the mark in 2015 and was the last to pull off the feat before Cabrera.

He is also the first player to reach the mark in a Tigers uniform.

“So proud for him and his family, and a career accomplishment so rare you may never get to be a part of this again,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “We have no idea who the next person can be to pass this big number.”

In 2012, Cabrera became the first player in 45 years to win the Triple Crown by leading the league in batting average, home runs, and RBIs.

When Cabrera made his major league debut with the Marlins in 2003, he was just 20 years old. He helped them win the World Series that year.

The Tigers acquired him in a trade with the Marlins in 2007, a year after losing the World Series to St. Louis, in the hopes that he would help them win a world championship for the first time since 1984.

However, the Tigers have never won it all with the slugging superstar. They lost in the 2012 World Series to San Francisco and later in the decade went into a rebuilding mode that bottomed out with 310 losses between 2017-19.

Cabrera’s hitting and his jovial on-field demeanor made him popular in Detroit, but his production has dipped significantly in recent years as age and injuries caught up with him.

While other Tigers such as superstar pitcher Justin Verlander were traded away, Cabrera’s declining value and huge contract made him difficult to move. His 500th homer was his 13th this season, his highest total since 2017.

Although Cabrera was in striking distance of both the home run and hit milestones when the season started, no one knew how those pursuits would go because of his recent struggles at the plate. He homered on opening day in the snow, but by the All-Star break, he had gone deep just seven times and there were doubts he could pull off the feat this year.

He has picked up the pace since then, hitting six home runs and reaching 500 with time to spare in 2021.

Cabrera is just behind Hall of Famer Eddie Murray, who ranks 27th on the career list with 504 home runs.

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