The United States solemnly observes the 22nd anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks today, which tragically took nearly 3,000 lives and obliterated the iconic World Trade Center in New York City.
President Joe Biden is scheduled to participate in the memorial events and will attend a ceremony at a military base in Alaska. Americans gather to recall the devastating attacks that, as Biden expressed, “altered the course of the nation’s history.” This is evident as they congregate at attack sites, fire stations, the 9/11 Memorial, and the Ground Zero museum located in Lower Manhattan.
Uniquely, this year’s memorial ceremony, which will see participation from Vice President Kamala Harris, will not feature any official addresses. Instead, family members of the victims will be the primary speakers.
In a significant revelation, more than two decades after the horrifying attacks, U.S. authorities announced the identification of two victims through advanced DNA analysis techniques. The identified, a man and a woman, perished during the World Trade Center collapse. However, their identities have been kept confidential at the families’ request, bringing the total number of identified victims to 1,649 out of the 2,753 who tragically lost their lives in New York.
The attacks, claimed by Al-Qaeda, resulted in the death of 2,977 people. Two planes targeted the World Trade Center towers, one struck the Pentagon, and another, seemingly aimed at either the U.S. Capitol or White House, crashed in Pennsylvania following a brave passenger intervention. Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden justified these attacks as retaliation against perceived injustices in Palestine, Iraq, Somalia, South Sudan, Kashmir, and Assam.
The 9/11 attacks still resonate deeply with Americans, with many vividly recalling that fateful day, the clear blue Manhattan sky, and the collapse of the twin towers amidst a storm of fire, dust, and debris.
It’s worth noting that in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. waged wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, resulting in over 500,000 civilian casualties, over 6,200 American military fatalities, and costing the nation an estimated 4 trillion dollars.
