Remembering 9/11
“Time is passing . Yet for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, and the funerals of the children.”
- George W Bush
It has been 20 years since the tragic morning of September 11, 2001. People are still reeling from the shock of what happened that day. The World Trade Center has been rebuilt, and the owners are still unable to generate a profit. This depicts the traumatic memories that the attack has left. The series of four coordinated terrorist attacks which killed over 3000 Americans left a longing impact on the world. It made the world realize it was high time to put an end on terrorism.
The Plot
The horrifying September 11 attacks were not the result of a random coup de main by a militant group, but of Osama bin Laden’s (head of al-Qaeda, an Islamic militant organization) ignorant views of the United States. Years before the attack, an associate of bin Laden in the 1980s and 1990s revealed that bin Laden was gradually convinced that America was weak, and that he believed the US was much weaker than some of those around him. As evidence, he mentioned what happened to the US in the 1983 Beirut bombings, when they were forced to flee Lebanon. He referred to withdrawal of American forces from Somalia in 1993 and Vietnam in 1970s as well.
The key planner of the attacks on September 11 was Khalid Sheikh Mohammed( referred to as KSM) who spent his youth in Kuwait, became active in the Muslim Brotherhood, which he joined at the age of 16. Following his graduation in 1986, he travelled to Pakistan and subsequently Afghanistan to conduct jihad against the Soviet Union, which invaded Afghanistan in 1979.
The Attack
- American Airlines Flight 11 took off from Boston early on September 9th, 2001. The plane was hijacked and directed to the west coast. The plane crashed into the north tower of the WTC at 8:46 a.m., killing 1,402 people. At first, they assumed it was a crash landing of an non-computed plane.
- United Airlines Flight 175 was reported hijacked after taking off from Boston. The members of the team were attacked. It was en route to the west coast. Flight 175 struck the WTC’s south tower 17 minutes after the initial attack. The second attack claimed the lives of 614 individuals. People realized that America was under attack.
- The Pentagon was the target of the third strike (military base). At 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 crashed on the southwest side of The Pentagon. A total of 125 persons were killed in the disaster, including army personnel and civilians.
- The federal authority of aviation ordered for the landing of all flights on air. Within an hour, Flight 93, the fourth hijacked airliner, crashed near Shanks Ville, Pennsylvania. The terrorists planned to crash the jet into the Capitol, but the plot was scrapped after passengers attempted to overcome intruders after learning of the attack.
Investigators view Osama bin Laden’s proclamation of a holy war against the United States, as well as a 1998 fatwa signed by bin Laden and others asking for the assassination of Americans, as proof of his motive.
The Aftermath
The World Trade Center, unlike the comparatively isolated location of the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack, to which the September 11 events were rapidly contrasted, located in the center of one of the world’s greatest cities. Hundreds of thousands of people observed the attacks firsthand (many bystanders photographed or videotaped the events), and millions more watched the catastrophe develop on television.
The footage of the attacks, as well as scenes of throngs of people, some with photos of missing loved ones, gathering at “Ground Zero” — as the site where the towers once stood came to be known — were replayed in the media countless times in the days following September 11, as were scenes of throngs of people, stricken with grief, gathering at the site where the towers once stood — were replayed in the media countless times.
The worldwide community has responded by forming an unparalleled coalition to combat international terrorism. President George W. Bush enhanced America’s domestic security and established a global coalition in the first 100 days of the fight.
Destroying al-Qaeda’s grip on Afghanistan by taking away Taliban’s power, interrupting al-Qaeda’s global operations and taking down terrorist resource networks, destroying al-Qaeda terrorist training camps, providing help to people of Afghanistan who were suffering from the Taliban’s reign of terror and to form a provisionary government by helping them put aside long standing differences were some of the measures taken by the US government.
In the fight against international terrorism, President Bush is pursued a broad and imaginative foreign strategy. The President’s stance warns the rest of the world that any country harboring or supporting terrorists would be considered a hostile government.
With a stroke of his pen, the President launched the fight on terrorism by seizing terrorist financial assets and disrupting their fundraising networks. The international financial community is working to deprive terrorists of their financial resources. 196 countries back the financial war on terror; 142 countries have taken steps to freeze terrorist assets; 153 known terrorists, terrorist organizations, and terrorist financial centers have had their assets frozen in the United States alone; and major terrorist financial networks have been shut down.
The United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan all support Operation Enduring Freedom, which began on October 7, 2001. The Taliban were compelled to hand over control of key cities. 11 terrorist training centers and 39 Taliban command and control installations have been destroyed by the troops. Terrorists from al-Qaeda have been apprehended, killed, or are on the loose.
The United States has led a global dragnet to bring terrorists to justice and prevent future terrorist acts, including the formation of the Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force to prevent terrorists from entering the United States, the arrest and indictment of known terrorists, increased global law enforcement information sharing, and the implementation of tough new anti-terrorism laws.
The United States, as Afghanistan’s greatest humanitarian contributor, has expanded its help to the Afghan people by sending $187 million in food, housing, blankets, and medical supplies since October. The President also announced the establishment of the America’s Fund for Afghan Children, which has already raised more than $1.5 million for Afghan children. The United States’ dedication to the Afghan people is saving lives as the harsh Afghan winter approaches.
President Bush has taken steps to help protect America from future terrorist attacks, including allocating $20 billion to homeland security, bolstering intelligence efforts, establishing the Office of Homeland Security and the Homeland Security Council, enacting tough new airline security measures, and securing America’s mail.
The American people have shown tremendous love for the families of the September 11 victims, contributing at least $1.3 billion to NGOs.
The President took efforts to safeguard Muslim-Americans from hate crimes very soon after the attacks. The President also hosted a number of events, including the first-ever White House Iftar and an Eid event at the end of Ramadan; he also paid a visit to the Islamic Center; and he launched the “Friendship Through Education” program to bring American and Muslim youngsters closer together.
“Every one of the victims who died on September 11th was the most important person on earth to somebody.”
— President George W. Bush, 12/11/01
Terrorists carried out an act of war on the innocent on September 11th. Terrorists killed not just to put an end to lives, but also to put an end to our way of life. Terrorists recently stated that we should forget about the September 11 attacks. The terrorists want nothing more than to quiet the world’s outcry against their terrifying vision, which they want to spread to every corner of the globe.
- More than 3,000 individuals were killed or went missing as a result of the attacks. They arrived from over 80 different countries, representing a wide range of ethnicities and beliefs.
- At the World Trade Center, 343 firemen and paramedics died.
- At the World Trade Center, 23 police officers and 37 Port Authority police officers perished.
- On September 11, about 2,000 children lost a parent, with 146 children losing a parent in the Pentagon assaults.
- One company alone lost over 700 workers, resulting in at least 50 pregnant widows.
More than 120 countries came together on December 11 to commemorate the three-month anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
The world will never forget the innocent victims and the heroic warriors who gave their lives in the fight to save them. The survivors, their grieving families, and the heartbroken friends they left behind will be remembered forever.
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