13 years after 9/11 attacks

Launched by al-Qaeda those killed included the 227 civilians, the 19 hijackers aboard the planes with a resultant death of 343 fire-fighters and 72 law enforcement officers.The attacks, according to the final report of the National Commission on terrorist attacks upon the United States, was a day of unprecedented shock and suffering in the history […]

Launched by al-Qaeda those killed included the 227 civilians, the 19 hijackers aboard the planes with a resultant death of 343 fire-fighters and 72 law enforcement officers.
The attacks, according to the final report of the National Commission on terrorist attacks upon the United States, was a day of unprecedented shock and suffering in the history of the world super power.
In the early hours of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, four passenger airliners with innocent passengers were hijacked by 19 al-Qaeda terrorists and flown into buildings in suicide attacks.
Two of those planes, an American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, were crashed into the North and South towers, respectively, of the World Trade Center (WTC) complex in New York City causing colossal damage and death.
Within two hours of the attack, both towers collapsed with debris and the resulting fires causing partial or complete collapse of all other buildings in the WTC complex, as well as significant damage to ten other large surrounding structures.
A third plane, American Airlines Flight 77 was crashed into the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, leading to a partial collapse in its western side.
However, the fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, which was targeted at Washington DC, crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after it was believed the passengers tried to overcome the hijackers.
As the attack was going on, then President George W. Bush was at the Emma E. Booker Elementary school, Sarasota, Florida where he was told by his Chief of Staff, Andrew Card about the attack and suspicion quickly fell on al-Qaeda.
They were the most lethal terrorist attacks in history, taking the lives of 3,000 Americans and international citizens and ultimately leading to far-reaching changes in anti-terror approaches and operations in the US and around the globe.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) report, the attack of 9/11-code-named “PENTTBOM”—was its largest investigation ever.
“At the peak of the case, more than half FBI agents worked to identify the hijackers and their sponsors and, with other agencies, to head off any possible future attacks following more than half-a-million investigative leads, including several hundred thousand tips from the public. The attack and crash sites also represented the largest crime scenes in FBI history,” the report said.
Although the group’s leader, Osama bin Laden, initially denied any involvement, but shortly before the US presidential election in 2004, in a taped statement, bin Laden publicly acknowledged al-Qaeda’s involvement in the attacks on the US and admitted his direct link to the attacks.
He said that the attacks were carried out because, “we are free … and want to regain freedom for our nation, for US support of Israel, the presence of US troops in Saudi Arabia and sanctions against Iraq. As you undermine our security we undermine yours.” Bin Laden said he had personally directed his followers to attack the World Trade Center.
The United States responded to the attacks by launching the War on Terror and invading Afghanistan to depose the Taliban, which had harboured al-Qaeda including the government of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.
Also many countries that seem to be harbouring or supporting terrorism were targeted thereafter in a broad and systematic war. As a result, many countries strengthened their anti-terrorism legislation and expanded law enforcement powers. Indeed since then, security became and still is the number item on the agenda of many countries around the world.
However, having evaded capture for years, bin Laden was located and killed by a special US force on May 2, 2011 at Abbottabad, Pakistan. It was a swift operation which took the world by surprise. Nevertheless, Pakistan was irked by the attack calling it an invasion of the country.
Dubbed “The attack that changed the world,” according to a June, 2011 studies by scholars the cost of prosecuting the war after 9/11 was enormous in all respect.
The war on terror took a toll on the US psychologically as many of its military especially younger personnel suffered from dementia while others were physically deformed.
Also, a group of scholars with the Eisenhower Research Project at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies in a report say the cost of the terror wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan are estimated at 225,000 lives and up to $4 trillion in US spending.
Although it is 13 years since the attack, many Americans still recount the momentous event with painful nostalgia just as the global community still live with its memory.
As 9/11 attacks are being commemorated today, the President/Chief Executive Officer, National September 11 Memorial and Museum, Joe Daniels said on its website that: “When you choose to commemorate the anniversary of 9/11, you are playing an important part in memorializing those who were killed, honoring the sacrifices of the first responders, and remembering the spirit of unity that emerged in the aftermath of 9/11.”