9/11 anniversary: US remembers 20 years to deadly attacks as Biden calls for unity
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Hashim Sheikh
- . September 11, 2021
- . Update: September 11, 2021 5:37 pm
On the eve of 20th anniversary of September 11 attacks in the United States of America, President Joe Biden paid tribute in a video released, to 2,977 victims who died on the unfortunate day. President Biden also urged the Americans unity as the country mourns the lives of those lost.
Acknowledging the emergency responders at the attacks site who rescued and searched thousands, President Biden said, “We honour all those who risked and gave their lives in the minutes, hours, months and years afterwards.”
“No matter how much time has passed, these commemorations bring everything painfully back as if you just got the news a few seconds ago,” the president added. On Saturday commemoration events are scheduled to take place. Biden along with first lady Dr. Jill Biden is to visit all the three sites of attacks – Pentagon, lower Manhattan and a field in Pennsylvania. Former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama will also participate in the events. There will also be six moments of silence that will correspond with the times the two World Trade Center towers were struck and fell by hijacked flights, and the moments the Pentagon was attacked and Flight 93 crashed.
“To the families of the 2,977 people from more than 90 nations killed on September 11, 2001, in New York City, Arlington, Virginia, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the thousands more who were injured — America will commemorate you and your loved ones. The pieces of your soul,” Biden said in the video.
Paying his tribute to the victims of 9/11 attacks through the video released on Friday, President Biden said that the central lesson the attacks have taught is that national unity is the biggest strength of America. In a six minute video released by White House, Biden said, “We saw heroism everywhere, in places expected and unexpected.”
“We also saw something all too rare: a true sense of national unity. Unity and resilience — a capacity to recover and repair in the face of trauma. Unity in service — the 9/11 generation stepping up to serve and protect in the face of terror to get those terrorists responsible, to show everyone seeking to do harm to America that we will hunt you down and make you pay. That will never stop, today, tomorrow, ever, from protecting America.”
The attacks were planned by al-Qaeda under Osama bin Laden from Afghanistan. They saw four US passenger flights hijacked by suicide attackers. Two of them were flown into the Twin Towers of New York City’s World Trade Centres. Another was crashed into the Pentagon just outside Washington DC and the fourth was crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after the passengers fought with the hijackers. After the attacks then President George W. Bush had announced war unleashed on the country and responded by attacking Afghanistan. The 20 year long war has recently been ended by President Joe Biden by complete withdrawal of US troops from the country, a move strongly being criticized globally.
