9/11: The Day Four Planes Changed the World

Synopsis

Today, The United States marks the 25th anniversary of 9/11 attack but on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, at 8:46 a.m. the belief that America was untouchable was shattered. Within hours, nearly 3,000 people were dead, two of the world's most recognizable skyscrapers had collapsed. Twenty-five years later, politicians still debate wars, intelligence agencies still defend their failures, and extremists still exploit grievances. But the people who died that morning were neither policymakers nor generals. They were common people who paid the price for conflicts they did not create.

What Happened In 9/11 Attack?

Hijackers seized U.S. passenger jets and crashed them into two New York skyscrapers, killing at least 3,000 people. It was on September 11, 2001, when four planes flying over the eastern U.S. were seized on the same morning Hijackers guided missiles to crash into landmark buildings in New York and Washington.

American Airlines Flight 11 at 8:46 a.m. hit the North Tower (WTC 1) of the World Trade Centre in New York, with the second strike 17 minutes after the first. In United Airlines Flight 175 at 9:03 a.m. at South Tower (WTC 2) of the World Trade Centre. The buildings were set on fire, trapping people on the upper floors, and the city was surrounded in smoke. In less than two hours, both 110-storey towers collapsed in massive clouds of dust.

Followed by the third plane crash in American Airlines Flight 77 at 9:37 a.m. in the headquarters of the U.S. military just outside the nation’s capital, Washington DC, Virginia. The fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back. It is thought the hijackers had meant to attack Washington's Capital Building.

In total 3,000 people died in the 9/11 attack. All 246 passengers and crew aboard the four planes were killed. At the Twin Towers, 2,606 people died at the time or later from injuries sustained during the attack. At the Pentagon, 125 people were killed, including 11 hijackers who lost their lives. Thousands of people were injured, or later developed illnesses connected to the attacks, including firefighters who had worked in toxic debris. Health problems linked to the dust and smoke from the towers' collapse have since claimed more than threefold the number of lives lost in the attacks.

Who Was Behind the Attack?

An Islamist extremist network called al-Qaeda planned the attacks from Afghanistan. The group's Khalid Sheikh Mohammad allegedly devised the plot, and helped to recruit the pilots, some of whom trained in the U.S.

Nineteen people carried out the hijackings, working in three teams of five and one of four. Fifteen of the hijackers were Saudis like Bin Laden. Two were from the United Arab Emirates, one was from Egypt and one was from Lebanon.

Who is Al-Qaeda?

Al – Qaeda is a pan-Islamist militant organization and international Terrorists network, founded in 1988 by Osama Bin Laden. The group is known for carrying out major attacks against civilian and military targets, most notably the September 11, 2001, attacks in the U.S.

The core ideology of the group is to unite the Muslim world under a supranational Islamic caliphate and violently oppose Western, specifically U.S., political and military influence in Muslim-majority lands.

Major attacks done by the group, in 1998, Embassy Bombing, coordinated truck bombings targeting U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Followed by in 2000, an attack on a U.S. Navy destroyer docked in Yemen. Furthermore, in 2001, Hijacked commercial airplanes destroyed the World Trade Centre towers in hit the Pentagon.

Current Status, rather than operating as a centralized command, the organization now function largely through autonomous or semi-autonomous regional branches and local offshoot across parts of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

Why did it happen?

Osama Bin Laden believed that the U.S. was the main force behind military and political actions hampering Muslims around the world. He argued that the U.S. was supporting Israel against Palestinians. Stationing American troops in Saudi Arabia.

Supporting governments and military actions that harmed Muslims. Imposing sanctions on Iraq after the Gulf War. Influencing Middle Eastern politics through military and economic power. Because of this, he declared a militant "jihad" against the United States in 1996 and again in 1998.

“Letter to the American People”

In this document, Bin Laden listed several grievances against the United States. He argued that America, Supported Israel's policies toward Palestinians. Maintained troops in Saudi Arabia. Supported Russia during the Chechen conflict. Supported India regarding Kashmir. Supported military actions in Somalia. Backed sanctions on Iraq. Supported governments in the Muslim world that he considered oppressive. These were presented as reasons for al-Qaeda's war against the United States.

The Questions America didn’t want to ask

The uncomfortable truth is that 9/11 was not only a terrorist success, it was also an intelligence failure. The world's most sophisticated intelligence apparatus spent billions gathering data yet failed to stop 19 men armed primarily with box cutters.

The 9/11 Commission Report blamed "failures of imagination, policy, capabilities and management" on the US government. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the report concluded, failed to properly assess intelligence and share information with each other and take sufficient steps to disrupt the plot.

Instead of examining foreign U.S. troops left Afghanistan in 2022 after nearly 20 years, stoking fears from many that the Islamist network could make a comeback. Policy root causes, the U.S. pivoted immediately to a military paradigm, asking how to strike back rather than why the structural hostility existed. Less than a month after the attacks, then U.S. President George W Bush led an invasion of Afghanistan, supported by an international coalition to eradicate al-Qaeda and hunt down Bin Laden.

In 2011 U.S. troops finally located and killed Bin Laden in Pakistan. US troops left Afghanistan in 2022 after nearly 20 years, stoking fears from many that the Islamist network could make a comeback.

World after 9/11

The tragedy of 9/11 did not end on September 11, it echoed across the world. Thousands died on 9/11. Hundreds of thousands more would die in conflicts that followed. The U.S. launched Operation Enduring Freedom against the Taliban government in Afghanistan, Taliban regime collapsed in late 2001. A 20-year military presence followed. In 2021, U.S. forces withdrew and the Taliban returned to power. Hundreds of thousands were killed or injured, and millions of Afghans were displaced.

The U.S. declared a worldwide "Global War on Terror”, war against terrorist networks globally, Countries expanded counterterrorism laws. Increased intelligence sharing and conducted military operations against extremist groups such as al-Qaeda, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and affiliated groups became primary security concerns for governments worldwide.

In 2003, the U.S. invaded Iraq, arguing that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and posed a security threat. However, no active WMD stockpiles were found. Saddam Hussein was removed from power. Iraq experienced years of insurgency and sectarian violence. Further led to increase in Regional instability, Extremist groups gained influence and ISIS eventually emerged from the chaos created by the conflict.

Millions Displaced Across Conflict Zones, Perhaps the most significant human consequence was mass displacements in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan and Yemen. Together, they forced tens of millions of people from their homes over two decades. Many became refugees in neighbouring countries. Internally displaced persons and Migrants seeking safety in Europe, North America, and elsewhere.

9/11 did not only destroy the Twin Tower, perhaps it reshaped global politics, security policies, international conflicts, and the lives of millions for more than two decades.