US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump on Thursday attended a solemn ceremony at the Pentagon to mark the 24th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, which claimed 2,977 lives.
The attacks occurred after four hijacked planes struck key locations in the United States — two hitting the World Trade Center in New York, one crashing into the Pentagon, and another downed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
At Ground Zero in New York, the annual tradition of reading aloud the names of the more than 2,700 victims of the Twin Towers collapse continued, honouring those lost in the deadliest terrorist strike on American soil.
On that morning in 2001, New York’s bustling streets and daily routine were shattered when hijackers crashed a plane into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Minutes later, another aircraft slammed into the South Tower, leaving the skyline engulfed in fire and smoke before both towers collapsed.
Another plane struck the Pentagon — headquarters of the US Department of Defense — while the fourth was brought down in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to overpower the hijackers.
The coordinated attacks were carried out by 19 terrorists associated with al-Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden. The tragedy not only killed nearly 3,000 people and injured thousands more but also reshaped America’s security policies and set the stage for decades of conflict abroad.
-ANI
