Move FM Global News

Flags were flying at half mast across America on Friday as the nation marked the 19th anniversary of the of the 9/11 attacks.

It was 9 September 2001 that the world was shocked at the brutal, high-impact attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington DC, and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Shortly after the twin towers collapsed after being struck by planes, a third, smaller, tower also collapsed.

2,977 people died in the attacks that day, and more than 25,000 more suffered injuries, smoke-inhalation and other impacts which have since led to illness and death in the years since.

Tens of thousands of others were saved by the heroic efforts of the first responders, many of whom perished or were injured in the process.

Four jetliners were hijacked by 19 men affiliated with the al-Qaeda network.

It was the deadliest attack on U.S. soil since the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour on 7 December 1941.

The 9/11 attacks precipitated invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, and numerous other conflicts as part of a War on Terror, launched by the Bush-Cheney administration in response to the attacks.

Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was not tracked down until May 2011 in Abbottabod, Pakistan. He would have revealed a treasure trove of information, however immediately after his capture he was shot dead, despite being unarmed.

“This is an anniversary that brings so much feeling and of course there is a lot of pain. I hope everyone remembers the heroism not only of our first responders but of our citizens as well,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday. “It’s also another moment to say, you think back, think back to that generation of New Yorkers, you think back to those heroes, you think back to the compassion of everyday New Yorkers in that moment of crisis. People all over this country and all over this world watched, and they were in awe of New York City.”

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea too on Friday reflected on that fateful day.

“I just think about the people and the entire experience that day. A day that nobody could have predicted and was impossible really to describe if you weren’t there,” he said. “I could just continually come back to the loss of life and the sacrifice and that’s what important, to renew our vow that we will never forget their sacrifice.”

“It’s a real problem for the men and women of this police department,” Shea added. “Hundreds have lost their lives since that day but there are thousands who are still affected by illness, some more serious than others.”