QUEZON City, Philippinies (September 19) – The American people still remembers the staggering 9/11 attack that occurred 15 years ago. The horror still haunts the hearts of the families of the victims – their names remembered in a memorial site near the rebuilt Twin Towers of New York.
The infamous attack that sparked the international war against terror has made its mark in human history. The figures will always be etched in the pages of the history books – 2, 996 killed and over 6, 000 injured. The total property damage was worth $ 3 trillion.
History will also always remember the names and designations of the airplanes involved in the 9/11 attack.
The American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 were crashed into North and South towers of the World Trade Center complex in New York City. That made the 110-story towers collapsed – raining burning debris everywhere.
The third plane – American Airline 77 – crashed into the Pentagon – headquarters of The United States Department of Defense – in Arlington Country.
The fourth and last plane – United Airlines Flight 93 – crashed into a field in Stonycreek Township near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
In the history of the United States, the 9/11 attack was the deadliest incident for the law enforcement agencies and fire fighters – 343 were killed doing their sworn duty.
The attack was traced back to the terrorist group al-Qaeda, with 19 of their operatives hi-jacking the aforementioned planes.
Controversy soon followed. It was alleged that the authorities have been negligent and that such negligence allowed the attack to occur. According to reports, the Central Intelligence Agency was able to track some of the Al-Qaeda hijackers but the Federal Bureau of Investigation refused to act on the CIA’s information.
Former President George W. Bush did not hesitate when he launched counterattacks and even staged an invasion of Afghanistan.
The leader of Al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden, became the most wanted man on Earth. At first , Bin Laden denied his involvement in the 9/11 attacks but in 2004 he finally claimed responsibility.
What followed is Bin Laden’s 10 years of hiding. A price money of $25 million was placed on his head. It all finally went full circle after the US Navy SEALs succeeded in cornering Bin Laden in a compound in Pakistan in May 22, 2011. This led to a blood bath with Bin Laden and his cohorts dead.
Many of the survivors and the victims of the 9/11 attacks rejoiced with the news of Bin Laden’s death but it does not end there.
We are all still living in a post-9/11 world – a world still rife with terrorist threats and violence. We should always be vigilant and should always remember the lessons learned in the fall of the Twin Towers.
(written by Allyssa Ruiz and Leslie Mendoza, edited by Jay Paul Carlos, additional research by Vince Alvin Villarin)
