Remembering the Path to the Terror of 9/11

Seventeen years have passed since the ill-fated day of September 11 when a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks on American soil shocked the world. The terror of 9/11 the name which the world remembers the day of death and destruction that claimed the lives of almost three thousand people and injured six thousand others. The USA lost $10 billion in infrastructure and property damage.

It all started in 1979 in Afghanistan, then under Soviet invasion. Osama bin Laden, the son of millionaire construction magnate with close ties to the Saudi royal family traveled to Afghanistan and founded Al-Qaeda in 1988. The tiff between the USA and Osama bin Laden started after the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan. Laden claimed that the USA had no role in Soviets withdrawing and demanded that American forces leave Saudi Arabia.

In the second fatwa in 1998, Osama bin Laden outlined his objections to American Foreign policies as well as the continued presence of American troops in Saudi Arabia after the Gulf War. He declared a “holy war” against America and called for the killing of Americans. The American security agencies deflected quite a few of his attempts but failed to deflect the horror that was the terror of 9/11.

Four passenger planes were hijacked nineteen Al-Qaeda terrorists. Two of the planes were crashed into the North and South Towers of World Trade Centre, the third plane was crashed into the Pentagon and the last was initially flown towards Washington D.C. but crashed into a field.

Both the towers of World Trade Centre collapsed within two hours of the crash. Falling debris and fires claimed the lives of many while the stock market took an irrecoverable dip. Al-Qaeda was suspected and Osama bin Laden confirmed the suspicions via a tape he later released.

The USA responded to the terror of 9/11 invading Afghanistan but failed in its main objective of eradicating Osama bin Laden. A “war against terror” was declared the USA that culminated in the killing of Laden in 2011 in Pakistan. The president at that time was Barack Obama who went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his role.

Osama bin Laden is dead, Al-Qaeda dormant for years now and the terror of 9/11 is said to avenged but the “war against terror” is far from over.

That day not only did people die and not only did economy suffer, that day terror was born in a completely new form. The world will have to forget the boundaries drawn man and join hands to fight in the “war against terror” so that the common man can actually live in peace.