140-529: The post-9/11 period is the time after the September 11 attacks , characterized by heightened suspicion of non-Americans in the United States, increased government efforts to address terrorism , and a more aggressive American foreign policy . We also must never forget the most vivid events of recent history. On September the 11th, 2001, America felt its vulnerability – even to threats that gather on
280-616: A CIA agent assigned to the FBI's international terrorism division, emailed his superiors at the CIA's Counterterrorism Center (CTC) requesting permission to inform the FBI that Hazmi was in the country and that Mihdhar had a U.S. visa. The CIA never responded. The same day, Margarette Gillespie, an FBI analyst working in the CTC, was told to review material about the Malaysia meeting. She was not told of
420-480: A Taliban offer to hand over bin Laden on the condition the bombing campaign was halted, and by mid-November, Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan, fell . The remaining al-Qaeda and Taliban remnants fell back to the rugged mountains of eastern Afghanistan, mainly Tora Bora. In December, Coalition forces (the U.S. and its allies) fought within that region . It is believed that Osama bin Laden escaped into Pakistan during
560-624: A bill that grants the President powers to unilaterally wage perpetual "world wide wars". Operation Enduring Freedom is the official name used by the Bush administration for the War in Afghanistan , together with three smaller military actions, under the umbrella of the global war on terror. These global operations are intended to seek out and destroy any al-Qaeda fighters or affiliates. Originally,
700-572: A bombing campaign in Sudan and Afghanistan against targets the U.S. asserted were associated with WIFJAJC, although others have questioned whether a pharmaceutical plant in Sudan was used as a chemical warfare facility. The plant produced much of the region's antimalarial drugs and around 50% of Sudan's pharmaceutical needs. The strikes failed to kill any leaders of WIFJAJC or the Taliban. Next came
840-467: A boundless 'global war on terror,' but rather as a series of persistent, targeted efforts to dismantle specific networks of violent extremists that threaten America. In many cases, this will involve partnerships with other countries." Nevertheless, in the same speech, in a bid to emphasize the legality of military actions undertaken by the U.S., noting that Congress had authorised the use of force, he went on to say, "Under domestic law, and international law,
980-802: A commercial pilot's license. Hanjour arrived in San Diego on December 8, 2000, joining Hazmi. They soon left for Arizona, where Hanjour took refresher training. Marwan al-Shehhi arrived at the end of May 2000, while Atta arrived on June 3, 2000, and Jarrah arrived on June 27, 2000. Bin al-Shibh applied several times for a visa to the United States, but as a Yemeni, he was rejected out of concerns he would overstay his visa. Bin al-Shibh stayed in Hamburg, providing coordination between Atta and Mohammed. The three Hamburg cell members all took pilot training in South Florida at Huffman Aviation . In
1120-509: A few days prior; the authorization is still active to this day and has been used to justify numerous military actions. The Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists or "AUMF" was made law on 14 September 2001, to authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against those responsible for 11 September attacks. It authorized the President to use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided
1260-414: A few hundred terrorism convictions each year. The war in Afghanistan , once viewed largely as a " just war ", lost popularity gradually. In 2011, polling indicated more than 60% of Americans opposed the war. In the 2021 fall of Kabul , the war came to an end as American and allied forces withdrew from Afghanistan , which resulted in the Taliban gaining control of all of Afghanistan. In the later phases of
1400-566: A few theories that 9/11 was selected by the hijackers as the date of the attack because it resembled 9-1-1 , the phone number used to report emergencies in the United States. However, Lawrence Wright wrote that the hijackers chose the date when John III Sobieski , the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania , began the battle that turned back the Ottoman Empire 's Muslim armies that were attempting to capture Vienna in 1683. Vienna
1540-460: A group of men from Hamburg , Germany, arrived in Afghanistan. The group included Mohamed Atta , Marwan al-Shehhi , Ziad Jarrah , and Ramzi bin al-Shibh. Bin Laden selected these men because they were educated, could speak English, and had experience living in the West. New recruits were routinely screened for special skills and al-Qaeda leaders consequently discovered that Hani Hanjour already had
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#17327798202051680-481: A hard lesson that we must be ever vigilant here in our homeland. We must always be prepared and ACT in defense of our country, the Constitution, and freedom," Shea said after receiving the award. Politics appear to be one of the main drivers of Islamophobia. A 2018 report from New America found that bigoted election campaigns were more likely to drive anti-Muslim activity rather than terrorist attacks. “Looking at
1820-573: A hard time maintaining full control over their country. The fledgling government requested support from the international community on combating the Islamic militants. In January 2013, France intervened on behalf of the Malian government's request and deployed troops into the region. They launched Operation Serval on 11 January 2013, with the hopes of dislodging the al-Qaeda affiliated groups from northern Mali. Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa
1960-563: A journalist's question about the impact of enhanced law enforcement authority given to the U.S. surveillance agencies on Americans' civil liberties: "This is a new kind of—a new kind of evil. And we understand. And the American people are beginning to understand. This crusade , this war on terrorism is going to take a while. And the American people must be patient. I'm going to be patient." The reference to Crusades became subject to heavy criticism due to its controversial connotations in
2100-679: A live album titled Live Scenes from New York on September 11, 2001. The cover art depicted the Manhattan skyline, including the World Trade Center towers in flames. It was immediately recalled, and the artwork altered. Another New York-based band, The Strokes , originally had "New York City Cops" as the ninth track on their 2001 breakthrough debut album Is This It . The album, initially released in June of that year in Australia,
2240-500: A matter for the FBI". By late June, senior counter-terrorism official Richard Clarke and CIA director George Tenet were "convinced that a major series of attacks was about to come", although the CIA believed the attacks would likely occur in Saudi Arabia or Israel. In early July, Clarke put domestic agencies on "full alert", telling them, "Something spectacular is going to happen here, and it's going to happen soon". He asked
2380-465: A period of transition, having just relocated back to Afghanistan from Sudan . The 1998 African embassy bombings and bin Laden's February 1998 fatwā marked a turning point of al-Qaeda's terrorist operation, as bin Laden became intent on attacking the United States. In late 1998 or early 1999, bin Laden approved Mohammed to go forward with organizing the plot. Atef provided operational support, including target selections and helping arrange travel for
2520-489: A protest against the mosque in 2010, which drew crowds both in support and opposition to the proposed Islamic center. In 2011, Spencer and Geller co-produced a film entitled, “The Ground Zero Mosque: Second Wave of the 9/11 Attacks.” This would be the first of several high-profile mosque opposition campaigns, with another taking place in that same year in Murfreesboro, Tennessee . Organized Islamophobia has since grown in
2660-594: A religion that will prevent it from destroying all people. So we tell the Americans as people and we tell the mothers of soldiers and American mothers in general that if they value their lives and the lives of their children, to find a nationalistic government that will look after their interests and not the interests of the Jews . The continuation of tyranny will bring the fight to America, as [the 1993 World Trade Center bomber] Ramzi [Yousef] yourself and others did. This
2800-439: A statement by him on September 16, 2001: "I stress that I have not carried out this act, which appears to have been carried out by individuals with their own motivation". In November 2001, U.S. forces recovered a videotape in which bin Laden, talking to Khaled al-Harbi , admitted foreknowledge of the attacks. On December 27, 2001, a second video of bin Laden was released in which he, stopping short of admitting responsibility for
2940-470: A telephone call mentioning the meeting, Mihdhar, and the name "Nawaf" (Hazmi); while the agency feared "Something nefarious might be afoot", it took no further action. The CIA had already been alerted by Saudi intelligence about Mihdhar and Hazmi being Al-Qaeda members. A CIA team broke into Mihdhar's Dubai hotel room and discovered that Mihdhar had a U.S. visa. While Alec Station alerted intelligence agencies worldwide, it did not share this information with
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#17327798202053080-479: Is an episode of The Simpsons , " The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson ," the main setting of which is the World Trade Center. After 9/11, Clear Channel Communications (an owner of over 1,000 radio stations in the U.S.) released a list of songs deemed "inappropriate" . The songs were not banned outright, but stations were advised not to play them. The New York-based band Dream Theater released
3220-598: Is an extension of Operation Enduring Freedom. Unlike other operations contained in Operation Enduring Freedom, OEF-HOA does not have a specific organization as a target. OEF-HOA instead focuses its efforts to disrupt and detect militant activities in the region and to work with willing governments to prevent the reemergence of militant cells and activities. In October 2002, the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA)
3360-500: Is my message to the American people: to look for a serious government that looks out for their interests and does not attack others, their lands, or their honor. My word to American journalists is not to ask why we did that but to ask what their government has done that forced us to defend ourselves. Bin Laden orchestrated the September 11 attacks. He initially denied involvement, but later recanted his denial. Al Jazeera broadcast
3500-1050: Is no military solution to the conflict, pointing out that terrorism is not an identifiable enemy, and have emphasized the importance of negotiations and political solutions to resolve the underlying roots of the crises. The phrase war on terror was used to refer specifically to the military campaign led by the United States, the United Kingdom, and allied countries against organizations and regimes identified by them as terrorist, and usually excludes other independent counter-terrorist operations and campaigns such as those by Russia and India. The conflict has also been referred to by other names, such as "World War IV", " World War III ", "Bush's War on Terror", "The Long War", "The Forever War", "The Global War on Terror", "The War Against al-Qaeda", or "The War of Terror". The phrase "war against terrorism" existed in North American popular culture and U.S. political parlance prior to
3640-456: Is not a global war against a tactic—terrorism, or a religion—Islam. We are at war with a specific network, al-Qaeda, and its terrorist affiliates who support efforts to attack the United States, our allies, and partners." Usage of the term "war on terror" was initially discontinued in May 2010 and again in May 2013. On 23 May 2013, U.S. President Barack Obama announced that the "war on terrorism"
3780-844: Is over 4,000 costing around 12 billion in Pakistani Rupees. In January 2002, the United States Special Operations Command, Pacific deployed to the Philippines to advise and assist the Armed Forces of the Philippines in combating Filipino Islamist groups. The operations were mainly focused on removing the Abu Sayyaf group and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) from their stronghold on the island of Basilan . The second portion of
3920-715: Is simultaneously a set of actual practices—wars, covert operations, agencies, and institutions—and an accompanying series of assumptions, beliefs, justifications, and narratives—it is an entire language or discourse". Jackson cites, among many examples, a statement by John Ashcroft that "the attacks of September 11 drew a bright line of demarcation between the civil and the savage ". Administration officials also described "terrorists" as hateful, treacherous, barbarous, mad, twisted, perverted, without faith, parasitical , inhuman, and, most commonly, evil. Americans, in contrast, were described as brave, loving, generous, strong, resourceful, heroic, and respectful of human rights. Denouncing
4060-442: Is the most egregious and visible voice of anti-Muslim racism in this group, the phenomenon is far bigger than Trump. As I have argued elsewhere, this is a bipartisan project. The endless war on terror that has consumed trillions of dollars could not be sustained without the fear of a Muslim terrorist enemy.” Peddling Islamophobic rhetoric in the post-September 11 world has become a lucrative job with millions of dollars sloshing around
4200-680: Is the third-largest cabinet department in the U.S. federal government, after the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs . Homeland security policy is coordinated at the White House by the Homeland Security Council. Other agencies with significant homeland security responsibilities include the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Energy. In
4340-406: The 1982 Lebanon War . Some analysts, including political scientists John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt , also claimed that U.S. support of Israel was a motive for the attacks. In 2004 and 2010, bin Laden again connected the September 11 attacks with U.S. support of Israel, although most of the letters expressed bin Laden's disdain for President Bush and bin Laden's hope to "destroy and bankrupt"
Post-9/11 - Misplaced Pages Continue
4480-473: The 2000 millennium attack plots , which included an attempted bombing of Los Angeles International Airport . On 12 October 2000, the USS Cole bombing occurred near the port of Yemen, and 17 U.S. Navy sailors were killed. On the morning of 11 September 2001, nineteen men hijacked four jet airliners , all of them bound for California. Once the hijackers assumed control of the jet airliners, they told
4620-974: The 9/11 Commission in April 2004, then— Attorney General John Ashcroft recalled that the "single greatest structural cause for the September 11th problem was the wall that segregated or separated criminal investigators and intelligence agents". Clarke also wrote: "[T]here were... failures to get information to the right place at the right time". Early on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, nineteen hijackers took control of four commercial airliners (two Boeing 757s and two Boeing 767s ). Large planes with long flights were selected for hijacking because they would have more fuel. * Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−04:00) Excluding hijackers Including emergency workers Including hijackers At 7:59 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 took off from Logan International Airport in Boston . Fifteen minutes into
4760-655: The Arabian Peninsula . In a second 1998 fatwā , bin Laden outlined his objections to American foreign policy with respect to Israel , as well as the continued presence of American troops in Saudi Arabia after the Gulf War . Bin Laden maintained that Muslims are obliged to attack American targets until the aggressive policies of the U.S. against Muslims were reversed. The Hamburg cell in Germany included Islamists who eventually came to be key operatives in
4900-577: The Battle of Ras Kamboni by bombing Ras Kamboni using AC-130 gunships. On 14 September 2009, U.S. Special Forces killed two men and wounded and captured two others near the Somali village of Baarawe . Witnesses claim that helicopters used for the operation launched from French-flagged warships, but that could not be confirmed. A Somali-based al-Qaida affiliated group, the Al-Shabaab , has verified
5040-577: The Central Intelligence Agency informed President George W. Bush that its Counterterrorism Center had identified the attacks as having been the work of Al-Qaeda under Osama bin Laden . The United States formally responded by launching the war on terror and invading Afghanistan to depose the Taliban , which rejected U.S. terms to expel Al-Qaeda from Afghanistan and extradite its leaders. The U.S.'s invocation of Article 5 of
5180-630: The Cold War . The main targets of the campaign are militant Islamist movements such as al-Qaeda , Taliban and their allies. Other major targets included the Ba'athist regime in Iraq , which was deposed in an invasion in 2003 , and various militant factions that fought during the ensuing insurgency . Following its territorial expansion in 2014, the Islamic State also emerged as a key adversary of
5320-723: The INS , the State Department, the Customs Service , and the FBI to put Hazmi and Mihdhar on their watchlists, but the FBI was prohibited from using criminal agents in searching for the duo, hindering their efforts. Also in July, a Phoenix -based FBI agent sent a message to FBI headquarters, Alec Station, and FBI agents in New York alerting them to "the possibility of a coordinated effort by Osama bin Laden to send students to
5460-761: The Muslim world and historical Muslim-Christian relations . On 20 September 2001, during a televised address to a joint session of Congress, George Bush said, "Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there. It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated." Both the term and the policies it denotes have been a source of ongoing controversy, as various critics and organizations like Amnesty International have argued that it has been used to justify unilateral preventive war , human rights abuses and other violations of international law. The political theorist Richard Jackson has argued that "the 'war on terrorism' [...]
5600-591: The South Tower . Both collapsed within an hour and forty-one minutes, bringing about the destruction of the remaining five structures in the complex and damaging or destroying nearby buildings. American Airlines Flight 77 flew towards Washington, D.C. and crashed into the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m., causing a partial collapse. The fourth and final flight, United Airlines Flight 93 , also changed course towards Washington, believed by investigators to target either
5740-526: The Trans-Saharan Counterterrorism Initiative as CJTF personnel also assist in training the armed forces of Chad , Niger, Mauritania and Mali . However, the war on terror does not include Sudan, where over 400,000 have died in an ongoing civil war. On 1 July 2006, a Web-posted message purportedly written by Osama bin Laden urged Somalis to build an Islamic state in the country and warned western governments that
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5880-819: The United States Capitol or the White House . Alerted to the previous attacks, the passengers revolted against the hijackers who crashed the aircraft into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania , at 10:03 a.m. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered an indefinite ground stop for all air traffic in U.S. airspace, preventing any further aircraft departures until September 13 and requiring all airborne aircraft to return to their point of origin or divert to Canada. The actions undertaken in Canada to support incoming aircraft and their occupants were collectively titled Operation Yellow Ribbon . That evening,
6020-510: The World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Another video obtained by Al Jazeera in September 2006 showed bin Laden with one of the attacks' chief planners, Ramzi bin al-Shibh , as well as hijackers, Hamza al-Ghamdi and Wail al-Shehri , amidst making preparations for the attacks. Journalist Yosri Fouda of the Arabic television channel Al Jazeera reported that in April 2002, al-Qaeda member Khalid Sheikh Mohammed admitted his involvement in
6160-546: The World Trade Center site (colloquially "Ground Zero") took eight months and was completed in May 2002, while the Pentagon was repaired within a year. After delays in the design of a replacement complex, six new buildings were planned to replace the lost towers, along with a museum and memorial dedicated to those who were killed or injured in the attacks. The tallest building, One World Trade Center , began construction in November 2006; it opened in November 2014. Memorials to
6300-556: The large-scale evacuation has also been criticized for leaving behind hundreds of American citizens, residents, and family members. The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was created in December 2001 to assist the Afghan Transitional Administration and the first post-Taliban elected government. With a renewed Taliban insurgency, it was announced in 2006 that ISAF would replace
6440-540: The large-scale evacuation of foreign citizens and certain vulnerable Afghans , executed in cooperation with the Taliban. On 30 August 2021, the United States completed its hasty withdrawal of its military from Afghanistan . The withdrawal was heavily criticized both domestically and abroad for being chaotic and haphazard, as well as for lending more momentum to the Taliban offensive . However, many European countries followed suit, including Britain, Germany, Italy, and Poland. Despite evacuating over 120,000 people,
6580-496: The term "war on terrorism" on 16 September 2001, and then "war on terror" a few days later in a formal speech to Congress . Bush indicated the enemy of the war on terror as "a radical network of terrorists and every government that supports them". The initial conflict was aimed at al-Qaeda, with the main theater in Afghanistan and Pakistan , a region that would later be referred to as " AfPak ". The term "war on terror"
6720-479: The 1983 Beirut barracks bombing "the opening salvo in a war that we have waged ever since—the global war on terror." In May 1996, the group World Islamic Front for Jihad Against Jews and Crusaders (WIFJAJC), sponsored by Osama bin Laden (and later re-formed as al-Qaeda ), started forming a large base of operations in Afghanistan , where the Islamist extremist regime of the Taliban had seized power earlier in
6860-462: The 1998 fatwa , al-Qaeda identified the Iraq sanctions as a reason to kill Americans, condemning the "protracted blockade" among other actions that constitute a declaration of war against "Allah, his messenger, and Muslims". In 2004, bin Laden claimed that the idea of destroying the towers had first occurred to him in 1982 when he witnessed Israel's bombardment of high-rise apartment buildings during
7000-450: The 9/11 attacks were a strategic move to provoke America into a war that would incite a pan-Islamic revolution. Documents seized during the 2011 operation that killed bin Laden included notes handwritten by bin Laden in September 2002 with the heading "The Birth of the Idea of September 11". He describes how he was inspired by the crash of EgyptAir Flight 990 on October 31, 1999, which
7140-459: The 9/11 attacks. Mohamed Atta ; Marwan al-Shehhi ; Ziad Jarrah ; Ramzi bin al-Shibh; and Said Bahaji were all members of al-Qaeda's Hamburg cell. Bin Laden asserted that all Muslims must wage a defensive war against the United States and combat American aggression. He further argued that military strikes against American assets would send a message to the American people , attempting to force
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#17327798202057280-485: The British government announced publicly that it was abandoning the use of the phrase "war on terror" as they found it to be less than helpful. This was explained more recently by Lady Eliza Manningham-Buller . In her 2011 Reith lecture , the former head of MI5 said that the 9/11 attacks were "a crime, not an act of war. So I never felt it helpful to refer to a war on terror." U.S. president Barack Obama rarely used
7420-645: The CIA's Presidential Daily Brief, designated "For the President Only", was entitled Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US . The memo noted that FBI information "indicates patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks". In mid-August, one Minnesota flight school alerted the FBI about Zacarias Moussaoui , who had asked "suspicious questions". The FBI found that Moussaoui
7560-574: The FBI and the State Department to alert the embassies and police departments, and the Defense Department to go to "Threat Condition Delta". Clarke later wrote: Somewhere in CIA there was information that two known al Qaeda terrorists had come into the United States. Somewhere in the FBI, there was information that strange things had been going on at flight schools in the United States. [...] They had specific information about individual terrorists from which one could have deduced what
7700-520: The FBI. The Malaysian Special Branch observed the January 5, 2000, meeting of the two al-Qaeda members and informed the CIA that Mihdhar, Hazmi, and Khallad were flying to Bangkok , but the CIA never notified other agencies of this, nor did it ask the State Department to put Mihdhar on its watchlist. An FBI liaison asked permission to inform the FBI of the meeting but was told: "This is not
7840-553: The Institute for Social Policy and Understanding found that politics are more likely to drive Islamophobia than one's faith. The poll also found that those who espouse Islamophobic beliefs are more likely to be intolerant towards Jewish people or LGBT people. And as author and scholar Deepa Kumar observes, “In the political sphere, particularly during an election year, Islamophobia serves to garner political support for candidates, which they hope to translate into votes. While Donald Trump
7980-623: The North Atlantic Treaty —its only usage to date—called upon allies to fight al-Qaeda. As U.S. and NATO invasion forces swept through Afghanistan, bin Laden eluded them . He denied any involvement until 2004 , when excerpts of a taped statement in which he accepted responsibility for the attacks were released. Al-Qaeda's cited motivations included U.S. support of Israel , the presence of U.S. military bases in Saudi Arabia and sanctions against Iraq . The nearly decade-long manhunt for bin Laden concluded on May 2, 2011, when he
8120-416: The Pentagon , which contains more than 64,000 workers, a military base which has a big concentration of army and intelligence ... As for the World Trade Center , the ones who were attacked and who died in it were part of a financial power. It wasn't a children's school! Neither was it a residence. The consensus is that most of the people who were in the towers were men who backed the biggest financial force in
8260-506: The Philippines under the name "PACOM Augmentation Team", until 24 February 2015. On 1 September 2017, US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis designated Operation Pacific Eagle – Philippines (OPE-P) as a contingency operation to support the Philippine government and the military in their efforts to isolate, degrade, and defeat the affiliates of ISIL (collectively referred to as ISIL-Philippines or ISIL-P) and other terrorist organisations in
8400-657: The Philippines. By 2018, American operations within the Philippines against terrorist groups involved as many as 300 advisers. Operation Enduring Freedom – Trans Sahara (OEF-TS), now Operation Juniper Shield, is the name of the military operation conducted by the U.S. and partner nations in the Sahara/Sahel region of Africa, consisting of counter-terrorism efforts and policing of arms and drug trafficking across central Africa. The conflict in northern Mali began in January 2012 with radical Islamists (affiliated to al-Qaeda) advancing into northern Mali. The Malian government had
8540-663: The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. Both buildings collapsed within two hours from fire damage related to the crashes, destroying nearby buildings and damaging others. The hijackers crashed a third jet airliner into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia , just outside Washington, D.C. The fourth jet airliner crashed into a field near Shanksville , Pennsylvania, after some of its passengers and flight crew attempted to retake control of
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#17327798202058680-502: The U.S. Other motives have been suggested in addition to those stated by bin Laden and al-Qaeda. Some authors suggested the "humiliation" that resulted from the Islamic world falling behind the Western world—this discrepancy was rendered especially visible by globalization and a desire to provoke the U.S. into a broader war against the Islamic world in the hope of motivating more allies to support al-Qaeda. Similarly, others have argued
8820-403: The U.S. economy and induced global market shocks . Many other countries strengthened anti-terrorism legislation and expanded their powers of law enforcement and intelligence agencies . The total number of deaths caused by the attacks, combined with the death tolls from the conflicts they directly incited, has been estimated by the Costs of War Project to be over 4.5 million. Cleanup of
8960-579: The U.S. have asked people to watch people around them and report "unusual" behavior, and signs posted in all public places request citizens to report anything out of the ordinary. The United States Department of Homeland Security has advised citizens to "be vigilant, take notice of your surroundings, and report suspicious items or activities to local authorities immediately." Since the attacks, Arab , Muslim , Sikh , and South-Asian Americans – as well as those perceived to be members of these groups – have been victims of threats, vandalism, arson, and murder in
9100-508: The U.S. to re-evaluate its support to Israel , and other aggressive policies. In a 1998 interview with American journalist John Miller , bin Laden stated: We do not differentiate between those dressed in military uniforms and civilians; they are all targets in this fatwa. American history does not distinguish between civilians and military, not even women and children. They are the ones who used bombs against Nagasaki. Can these bombs distinguish between infants and military? America does not have
9240-583: The U.S. troops in the province as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The British 16th Air Assault Brigade (later reinforced by Royal Marines ) formed the core of the force in southern Afghanistan, along with troops and helicopters from Australia, Canada and the Netherlands. The initial force consisted of roughly 3,300 British, 2,000 Canadian, 1,400 from the Netherlands and 240 from Australia, along with special forces from Denmark and Estonia and small contingents from other nations. The monthly supply of cargo containers through Pakistani route to ISAF in Afghanistan
9380-454: The U.S., many activities of foreigners or American citizens, which, prior to 9/11, would be viewed innocently (or as just eccentric), are now viewed with suspicion, especially in regards to the behavior of anyone who looks "Arab" in terms of clothing or skin color. Six Muslim imams were removed from a U.S. airliner in November 2006 when they prayed before the flight and showed "suspicious behavior". Various government agencies and police forces in
9520-425: The United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and the third into the Pentagon (headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense ) in Arlington County, Virginia . The fourth plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania during a passenger revolt. The September 11 attacks killed 2,977 people, making it
9660-440: The United States is at war with al Qaeda, the Taliban, and their associated forces. We are at war with an organization that right now would kill as many Americans as they could if we did not stop them first. So this is a just war—a war waged proportionally, in last resort, and in self-defense." Nonetheless, the use of the phrase "war on terror" persists in U.S. politics. In 2017, for example, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence called
9800-411: The United States or abroad, to the suspicion of terrorism, and has formally enacted a two-front war: the foreign war, and the surveillance, policing, and cultural wars deployed within the country.” While hate crimes and biased incidents against Muslims or those perceived to be Muslim increased in the post-September 11 era, the sophisticated network of anti-Muslim groups did not fully shape up until around
9940-480: The United States signed a security agreement, which allowed the United States and NATO forces to remain in Afghanistan until at least 2024. However, on 29 February 2020, the United States and the Taliban signed a conditional peace deal in Doha which required that US troops withdraw from Afghanistan within 14 months so long as the Taliban cooperated with the terms of the agreement not to "allow any of its members, other individuals or groups, including Al Qaeda, to use
10080-438: The United States to attend civil aviation universities and colleges". The agent, Kenneth Williams, suggested the need to interview flight school managers and identify all Arab students seeking flight training. In July, Jordan alerted the U.S. that al-Qaeda was planning an attack on the U.S.; "months later", Jordan notified the U.S. that the attack's codename was "The Big Wedding" and that it involved airplanes. On August 6, 2001,
10220-558: The United States. Anti-Muslim bias has also shown up in politics, policy, and media . In the years following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, a cottage industry of misinformation experts devoted to spreading anti-Islam sentiment took root in the United States. The industry is made up of a tight-knit core of think tanks, pseudo-scholars, bloggers, and activists that are well-disciplined in their anti-Islamic messaging. These figures have gained in-roads with conservative media as well as in mainstream politics. Sometimes referred to as
10360-574: The United States. Regarding al-Qaeda's recent status, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated in 2021, "Al-Qaeda has a new base of operations: it is the Islamic Republic of Iran." Al-Qaeda's de facto leader, Saif al-Adel , is currently believed to be living in Iran . The "war on terror" uses war as a metaphor to describe a variety of actions which fall outside the traditional definition of war. U.S. president George W. Bush first used
10500-564: The al-Qaeda network would fight against them if they intervened there. The Prime Minister of Somalia claimed that three "terror suspects" from the 1998 United States embassy bombings are being sheltered in Kismayo. On 30 December 2006, al-Qaeda deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahiri called upon Muslims worldwide to fight against Ethiopia and the TFG in Somalia. On 8 January 2007, the U.S. launched
10640-744: The attacks include the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City, the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington County, Virginia, and the Flight 93 National Memorial at the Pennsylvania crash site. In 1996, Osama bin Laden of the Islamist militant organization al-Qaeda issued his first fatwā , which declared war against the United States and demanded the expulsion of all American soldiers from
10780-845: The attacks and said they were carried out because: The events that affected my soul in a direct way started in 1982 when America permitted the Israelis to invade Lebanon and the American Sixth Fleet helped them in that. This bombardment began and many were killed and injured and others were terrorised and displaced. I couldn't forget those moving scenes, blood and severed limbs, women and children sprawled everywhere. Houses were destroyed along with their occupants, high rises demolished over their residents, rockets raining down on our home without mercy...As I looked at those demolished towers in Lebanon, it entered my mind that we should punish
10920-468: The attacks as retaliatory strikes against American atrocities against Muslims across the world. He also maintained that the attacks were not directed against women and children, asserting that the targets of the strikes were symbols of America's "economic and military power". In bin Laden's November 2002 Letter to the American People , he identified al-Qaeda's motives for the attacks: After
11060-408: The attacks, along with Ramzi bin al-Shibh. The 2004 9/11 Commission Report determined that the animosity which Mohammed, the principal architect of the 9/11 attacks, felt towards the United States had stemmed from his "violent disagreement with U.S. foreign policy favoring Israel". Mohammed was also an adviser and financier of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the uncle of Ramzi Yousef ,
11200-402: The attacks, bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri released additional recordings , some of which repeated the above reasons. Two relevant publications were bin Laden's 2002 Letter to the American People and a 2004 videotape by bin Laden. [...] those young men, for whom God has cleared the way, didn't set out to kill children, but rather attacked the biggest centre of military power in the world,
11340-469: The attacks, said: It has become clear that the West in general and America in particular have an unspeakable hatred for Islam. ... It is the hatred of crusaders . Terrorism against America deserves to be praised because it was a response to injustice, aimed at forcing America to stop its support for Israel, which kills our people. ... We say that the end of the United States is imminent, whether Bin Laden or his followers are alive or dead, for
11480-546: The attacks. This resulted in an estimated 1,595 additional highway deaths in the ensuing year. This fear of flying also created the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which is used to increase safety and reduce fear of flying in citizens. Films and television programs produced before 2001 that feature the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center or events similar to 9/11 have been edited in re-airings on television. One such example
11620-522: The awakening of the Muslim ummah [nation] has occurred. ... It is important to hit the economy (of the United States), which is the base of its military power...If the economy is hit they will become reoccupied. Shortly before the 2004 U.S. presidential election , bin Laden used a taped statement to publicly acknowledge al-Qaeda's involvement in the attacks. He admitted his direct link to
11760-580: The battle. In March 2002, the U.S. and other NATO and non-NATO forces launched Operation Anaconda with the goal of destroying any remaining al-Qaeda and Taliban forces in the Shah-i-Kot Valley and Arma Mountains of Afghanistan. The Taliban suffered heavy casualties and evacuated the region. The Taliban regrouped in western Pakistan and began to unleash an insurgent-style offensive against Coalition forces in late 2002. Throughout southern and eastern Afghanistan, firefights broke out between
11900-572: The campaign are ongoing, including a U.S. military intervention in Somalia. Although the major wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have ended, the Israel–Hamas war and its spillover across the Middle East have led to renewed debate on whether a new phase of the war on terror had begun. According to the Costs of War Project , the post-9/11 wars of the campaign have displaced 38 million people,
12040-477: The campaign was named "Eternal Justice" but due to widespread controversy and condemnation in the Muslim world , the phrasing was changed to "Enduring Freedom". On 20 September 2001, in the wake of the September 11 attacks , George W. Bush delivered an ultimatum to the Taliban government of Afghanistan, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan , to turn over Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda leaders operating in
12180-621: The coalition forces is to monitor, inspect, board and stop suspected shipments from entering the Horn of Africa region and affecting the United States' Operation Iraqi Freedom . Included in the operation is the training of selected armed forces units of the countries of Djibouti, Kenya and Ethiopia in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency tactics. Humanitarian efforts conducted by CJTF-HOA include rebuilding of schools and medical clinics and providing medical services to those countries whose forces are being trained. The program expands as part of
12320-540: The country or face attack. The Taliban demanded evidence of bin Laden's link to 11 September attacks and, if such evidence warranted a trial, they offered to handle such a trial in an Islamic Court. Subsequently, in October 2001, U.S. forces (with UK and coalition allies) invaded Afghanistan to oust the Taliban regime. On 7 October 2001, the official invasion began with British and U.S. forces conducting airstrike campaigns over enemy targets. Shortly after, Bush rejected
12460-435: The deadliest terrorist attack in history as well as the deadliest incident for firefighters and law enforcement personnel in American history, killing 343 and 72 members, respectively. The loss of life stemming from the impact of Flight 11 made it the most lethal multi-plane crash in aviation history followed by the death toll incurred by Flight 175. The destruction of the World Trade Center and its environs seriously harmed
12600-598: The deadliest terrorist attack in history. In response to the attacks, the United States waged the multi-decade global war on terror to eliminate hostile groups deemed terrorist organizations, as well as the foreign governments purported to support them. Ringleader Mohamed Atta flew American Airlines Flight 11 into the North Tower of the World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan at 8:46 a.m. Seventeen minutes later, United Airlines Flight 175 hit
12740-561: The first time ever, NATO invoked Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty , which commits each member state to consider an armed attack against one member state to be an armed attack against them all. The invocation of Article 5 led to Operation Eagle Assist and Operation Active Endeavour . On 18 September 2001, President Bush signed the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists passed by Congress
12880-505: The flight, five hijackers armed with boxcutters took over the plane, injuring at least three people (and possibly killing one) before forcing their way into the cockpit. The terrorists also displayed an apparent explosive and sprayed mace into the cabin, to frighten the hostages into submission and further hinder resistance. Back at Logan, United Airlines Flight 175 took off at 8:14 a.m. Hundreds of miles southwest at Dulles International Airport , American Airlines Flight 77 left
13020-451: The following objectives in the war on terror: The 2001 AUMF has authorized US President to launch military operations across the world without any congressional oversight or transparency. Between 2018 and 2020 alone, US forces initiated what it labelled "counter-terror" activities in 85 countries. Of these, the 2001 AUMF has been used to launch classified military campaigns in at least 22 countries. The 2001 AUMF has been widely perceived as
13160-531: The gate at 8:00 a.m., the plane was running 42 minutes late. At 8:46 a.m., Flight 11 was deliberately crashed into the north face of the World Trade Center's North Tower between the 93rd and 99th floors. The initial presumption by many was that it was an accident. At 8:51 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 was also taken over by five hijackers who forcibly entered the cockpit 31 minutes after take-off. Although they were equipped with knives, there were no reports of anyone on board being stabbed, nor did
13300-751: The hijackers. Bin Laden overruled Mohammed, rejecting potential targets such as the U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles for lack of time. Bin Laden provided leadership and financial support and was involved in selecting participants. He initially selected Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar , both experienced jihadists who had fought in Bosnia . Hazmi and Mihdhar arrived in the United States in mid-January 2000. In early 2000, Hazmi and Mihdhar took flying lessons in San Diego, California. Both spoke little English, performed poorly in flying lessons, and eventually served as secondary "muscle" hijackers. In late 1999,
13440-473: The jet airliners, which the hijackers had redirected toward Washington, D.C., to target the White House or the U.S. Capitol . None of the flights had any survivors. A total of 2,977 victims and the 19 hijackers perished in the attacks. Fifteen of the nineteen were citizens of Saudi Arabia , and the others were from the United Arab Emirates (2), Egypt , and Lebanon . On 13 September, for
13580-821: The late 2000s. Controversy over the war has focused on its morality, casualties, and continuity, with critics questioning government measures that infringed civil liberties and human rights. Critics have notably described the Patriot Act as " Orwellian " due to its substantial expansion of the federal government's surveillance powers. Controversial practices of coalition forces have been condemned, including drone warfare , surveillance, torture, extraordinary rendition and various war crimes. The participating governments have been criticized for implementing authoritarian measures, repressing minorities, fomenting Islamophobia globally, and causing negative impacts to health and environment. Security analysts assert that there
13720-565: The lead bomber in that attack. In late 1994, Mohammed and Yousef moved on to plan a new terrorist attack called the Bojinka plot planned for January 1995. Despite a failure and Yousef's capture by U.S. forces the following month, the Bojinka plot would influence the later 9/11 attacks. In "Substitution for Testimony of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed" from the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui , five people are identified as having been completely aware of
13860-518: The movement. A 2013 report from the Center for American Progress found that Islamophobic think tanks made $ 42.6 million between 2001 and 2009. A 2019 report from the Council on American-Islamic Relations found $ 125 million has been funneled to Islamophobic groups through foundations and donor-advised funds between 2014 and 2016. Due to many Americans having a fear of flying , auto usage increased after
14000-422: The operation was conducted as a humanitarian program called "Operation Smiles". The goal of the program was to provide medical care and services to the region of Basilan as part of a "Hearts and Minds" program. Joint Special Operations Task Force – Philippines disbanded in June 2014, ending a successful 12-year mission. After JSOTF-P had disbanded, as late as November 2014, American forces continued to operate in
14140-403: The operation's details. They are bin Laden, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Ramzi bin al-Shibh , Abu Turab al-Urduni and Mohammed Atef . Osama bin Laden's declaration of a holy war against the United States, and a 1998 fatwā signed by bin Laden and others that called for the killing of Americans, are seen by investigators as evidence of his motivation. In November 2001, bin Laden defended
14280-519: The oppressor in kind and that we should destroy towers in America so that they taste some of what we tasted and so that they be deterred from killing our women and children. And that day, it was confirmed to me that oppression and the intentional killing of innocent women and children is a deliberate American policy. Destruction is freedom and democracy, while resistance is terrorism and intolerance. Bin Laden personally directed his followers to attack
14420-618: The organization-including Abu Hafs the Mauritanian , Sheikh Saeed al Masri , and Sayf al Adl . One senior al Qaeda operative claims to recall Bin Ladin arguing that attacks against the United States needed to be carried out immediately to support insurgency in the Israeli-occupied territories and protest the presence of U.S. forces in Saudi Arabia. — 9/11 Commission Report , p. 251 On July 13, Tom Wilshire,
14560-422: The original artwork for their album Golden State before it was released which originally depicted a picture of a plane in mid-air. The music video for a song called 'Piece By Piece' by British band Feeder was also changed. The original video depicted animated characters of the band playing in a New York skyscraper with the World Trade Center in the background and planes flying near by. The band later jump from
14700-594: The other side of the earth. We resolved then, and we are resolved today, to confront every threat, from any source, that could bring sudden terror and suffering to America. – George W. Bush, 2002. The attacks led to significant and widespread changes in U.S. politics and foreign policy. Domestically, both parties rallied around new or strengthened anti-terrorism legislation. Much of this legislation has been funded by western countries. Since 9/11 and as of 2011, there have been 119,044 anti-terror arrests and 35,117 convictions in 66 countries. By contrast, before 9/11 there were only
14840-471: The participant's presence in the U.S. The CIA gave Gillespie surveillance photos of Mihdhar and Hazmi from the meeting to show to FBI counterterrorism but did not tell her their significance. The Intelink database informed her not to share intelligence material with criminal investigators. When shown the photos, the FBI refused more details on their significance, and they were not given Mihdhar's date of birth or passport number. In late August 2001, Gillespie told
14980-500: The passengers that they had a bomb on board and would spare the lives of passengers and crew once their demands were met—no passenger and crew actually suspected that they would use the jet airliners as suicide weapons since it had never happened before in history, and many previous hijacking attempts had been resolved with the passengers and crew escaping unharmed after obeying the hijackers. The hijackers—members of al-Qaeda's Hamburg cell —intentionally crashed two jet airliners into
15120-879: The post-September 11 era. Islamophobic group members have gained political allies at the federal and state level. Senator Ted Cruz has appeared at events put on the anti-Muslim think tank Center for Security Policy. Cruz tapped Center for Security Policy founder Frank Gaffney to serve on his foreign policy advisory during his 2016 presidential run. Republican Reps. Scott Perry, Brian Babin , and eight other federal lawmakers attended ACT for America's national conference in Washington, D.C. The SPLC has designated ACT for America as an anti-Muslim hate group. Former Washington State Rep. Matt Shea received an award from ACT in 2015. “I have proudly served my country, fighting against terrorism during combat tours in Bosnia and Iraq, but 9/11 taught us
15260-456: The remarks of George W. Bush , Osama Bin Laden stated during an interview in 21 October 2001: "The events proved the extent of terrorism that America exercises in the world. Bush stated that the world has to be divided in two: Bush and his supporters, and any country that doesn't get into the global crusade is with the terrorists. What terrorism is clearer than this? Many governments were forced to support this "new terrorism." In April 2007,
15400-588: The runway at 8:20 a.m. Flight 175's journey proceeded normally for 28 minutes until 8:42 am, when a group of five hijacked the plane, murdering both pilots and stabbing several crew members before assuming control of the aircraft. These hijackers also used bomb threats to instil fear into the passengers and crew, also spraying chemical weapons to disable any opposition. Concurrently, United Airlines Flight 93 departed from Newark International Airport in New Jersey ; originally scheduled to pull away from
15540-500: The second largest number of forced displacements of any conflict since 1900, and caused more than 4.5 million deaths (direct and indirect) in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Philippines, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. They also estimate that it has cost the US Treasury over $ 8 trillion. While support for the "war on terror" was high among the American public during its initial years, it had become deeply unpopular by
15680-763: The since after the September 11 attacks. The Southern Poverty Law Center reported a 197 percent increase in anti-Muslim hate groups between 2015 and 2016, rising from 34 to 101 active groups. The number has remained high since, with SPLC documenting 72 anti-Muslim hate groups in 2020. These groups continued to gain in-roads in media and politics. Media outlets like Fox News have provided space to Islamophobic figures like Brigitte Gabriel, Robert Spencer, and Frank Gaffney. These figures are repeatedly invited on Fox to discuss Islam, terrorism, and national security, despite their biased agenda. Media outlets like CNN (source) and MSNBC have also been accused of fomenting Islamophobia. Spreading Islamophobia proved to be politically expedient in
15820-686: The soil of Afghanistan to threaten the security of the United States and its allies". The Afghan government was not a party to the deal and rejected its terms regarding release of prisoners. After Joe Biden became president, he moved back the target withdrawal date to 31 August 2021. On 15 August 2021, the Afghan capital Kabul fell to a surprisingly effective Taliban offensive , ending the war in Afghanistan . The US military and NATO troops took control of Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport for use in Operation Allies Refuge and
15960-546: The spring of 2001, the secondary hijackers began arriving in the United States. In July 2001, Atta met with bin al-Shibh in Tarragona , Catalonia, Spain, where they coordinated details of the plot, including final target selection. Bin al-Shibh passed along bin Laden's wish for the attacks to be carried out as soon as possible. Some of the hijackers received passports from corrupt Saudi officials who were family members or used fraudulent passports to gain entry. There have been
16100-582: The statistics, it is clear that the rise in these incidents are tied to the election cycle,” said Robert McKenzie, a senior fellow at New America, told The Intercept. “If spikes in anti-Muslim activity only occurred due to terrorism, we would expect to see more incidents following high-profile attacks like the Boston Marathon bombing and Charlie Hebdo, but we didn't. What we do have are folks running for elected office who are using megaphones to talk about how dangerous Muslims are.” A 2019 poll conducted by
16240-480: The surging Taliban and Coalition forces. Coalition forces responded with a series of military offensives and an increase of troops in Afghanistan. In February 2010, Coalition forces launched Operation Moshtarak in southern Afghanistan along with other military offensives in the hopes that they would destroy the Taliban insurgency once and for all. Peace talks were also underway between Taliban affiliated fighters and Coalition forces. In September 2014, Afghanistan and
16380-555: The term and instead to use "Overseas Contingency Operation". Basic objectives of the Bush administration "war on terror", such as targeting al Qaeda and building international counterterrorism alliances, remain in place. In May 2010, the Obama administration published a report outlining its National Security Strategy . The document dropped the Bush-era phrase "global war on terror" and reference to "Islamic extremism," and stated, "This
16520-519: The term, but in his inaugural address on 20 January 2009, he stated: "Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred." In March 2009 the Defense Department officially changed the name of operations from "Global War on Terror" to "Overseas Contingency Operation" (OCO). In March 2009, the Obama administration requested that Pentagon staff members avoid the use of
16660-502: The terrorist attacks that occurred on 11 September 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or individuals. Congress declares this is intended to constitute specific statutory authorization within the meaning of section 5(b) of the War Powers Resolution of 1973. The George W. Bush administration defined
16800-478: The terrorist organization. This was considered to be another campaign of the "war on terror". In December 2012, Jeh Johnson , the General Counsel of the Department of Defense , speaking at Oxford University , stated that the war against al-Qaeda would end when the terrorist group had been weakened so that it was no longer capable of "strategic attacks" and had been "effectively destroyed." At that point,
16940-495: The time Barack Obama became president. The movement's mass organizing arm came together in 2010 with the opposition to the Park51 Islamic center in New York City. In his book The Islamophobia Industry, author Nathan Lean writes, “The political and social climate of 2010 was ripe for expressions of hate. Nine years after September 11, 2001, a time when many would have expected anti-Muslim sentiment to be in decline. In fact, it
17080-478: The two people who made phone calls mention the use of mace or a bomb threat. War on terror The war on terror , officially the Global War on Terrorism ( GWOT ), is a global military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks in 2001, and is the most recent global conflict spanning multiple wars . Some researchers and political scientists have argued that it replaced
17220-419: The war and afterwards, the war was viewed widely unfavorably. The United States government created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in response to the attacks. DHS is a cabinet-level department of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting the territory of the United States from terrorist attacks and responding to natural disasters. With approximately 184,000 employees, DHS
17360-455: The war on terror. But it was not until the 11 September attacks that it emerged as a globally recognizable phrase and part of everyday lexicon. Tom Brokaw , having just witnessed the collapse of one of the towers of the World Trade Center , declared "Terrorists have declared war on [America]." On 16 September 2001, at Camp David , U.S. president George W. Bush used the phrase war on terrorism in an ostensibly unscripted comment when answering
17500-654: The war would no longer be an armed conflict under international law , and the military fight could be replaced by a law enforcement operation. In May 2013, two years after the assassination of Osama bin Laden , Barack Obama delivered a speech that employed the term global war on terror put in quotation marks (as officially transcribed by the White House): "Now, make no mistake, terrorists still threaten our nation. ... In Afghanistan, we will complete our transition to Afghan responsibility for that country's security. ... Beyond Afghanistan, we must define our effort not as
17640-556: The window of the building. When Sean Altman recorded " Zombie Jamboree " for The GrooveBarbers album Guts , he changed the lyrics to, "There's an acapella zombie singing down Broadway" instead of the line that he and Rockapella had sung for years, "There's a high-wire zombie between the World Trades". September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks , commonly known as 9/11 , were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against
17780-550: The world, which spreads mischief throughout the world. — Osama Bin Laden's interview with Tayseer Allouni , October 21, 2001 As an adherent of Islam , bin Laden believed that non-Muslims are forbidden from having a permanent presence in the Arabian Peninsula . In 1996, bin Laden issued a fatwā calling for American troops to leave Saudi Arabia. One analysis of suicide terrorism suggested that without U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, Al-Qaeda likely would not have been able to get people to commit to suicide missions. In
17920-529: The year. In August 1996, Bin Laden declared jihad against the United States. In February 1998, Osama bin Laden signed a fatwa , as head of al-Qaeda, declaring war on the West and Israel; in May al-Qaeda released a video declaring war on the U.S. and the West. On 7 August 1998, al-Qaeda struck the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania , killing 224 people, including 12 Americans. In retaliation, U.S. President Bill Clinton launched Operation Infinite Reach ,
18060-450: The “ Counter-Jihad ” movement, this social movement mainly exists to manufacture fear of Islam. This movement materialized post- September 11, 2001, in parallel with the United States government's “ War on Terror ,” invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq , and domestic surveillance programs. As author and scholar Khaled A. Beydoun writes in his book American Islamophobia , “The state has linked Muslims, whether immigrants or citizens, living in
18200-528: The “Ground Zero Mosque” as it was later dubbed given its proximity to the fallen World Trade Center Towers. Geller claimed the mosque would be viewed by Muslims worldwide as a “triumphal monument” built on “conquered land.” Others political figures joined in on spreading conspiracy theories about Park51. Former American vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin called it “an intolerable mistake on hallowed ground.” Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich lamented it as “an act of triumphalism.” Geller and Spencer staged
18340-499: Was a radical who had traveled to Pakistan, and the INS arrested him for overstaying his French visa. Their request to search his laptop was denied by FBI headquarters due to the lack of probable cause . The failures in intelligence-sharing were attributed to 1995 Justice Department policies limiting intelligence-sharing, combined with CIA and NSA reluctance to reveal "sensitive sources and methods" such as tapped phones. Testifying before
18480-412: Was about to happen. None of that information got to me or the White House. [...] by July [2001], with word spreading of a coming attack, a schism emerged among the senior leadership of al Qaeda. Several senior members reportedly agreed with Mullah Omar . Those who reportedly sided with bin Ladin included Atef , Sulayman Abu Ghayth , and KSM . But those said to have opposed him were weighty figures in
18620-590: Was deliberately crashed by co-pilot Gameel Al-Batouti , killing over 200 passengers. "This is how the idea of 9/11 was conceived and developed in my head, and that is when we began the planning" bin Laden continued, adding that no one but Abu Hafs and Abu al-Khair knew about it at the time. The 9/11 Commission Report identified Khalid Sheikh Mohammed as the architect of 9/11, but he is not mentioned in bin Laden's notes. The attacks were conceived by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed , who first presented it to Osama bin Laden in 1996. At that time, bin Laden and Al-Qaeda were in
18760-475: Was established in Djibouti at Camp Lemonnier . It contains approximately 2,000 personnel including U.S. military and special operations forces (SOF) and coalition force members, Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150). Task Force 150 consists of ships from a shifting group of nations, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Pakistan, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The primary goal of
18900-547: Was higher than the days and weeks following that horrible fall tragedy." In 2010, a proposed Islamic center in New York City's Lower Manhattan became a flashpoint of Islamophobia in the United States. The effort was largely led by Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller, two anti-Muslim bloggers who would go on to form the Stop the Islamization of America group. The two came out in opposition to the proposed Park51 Islamic center, or
19040-542: Was immediately criticized by individuals including Richard Myers , then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , and eventually more nuanced terms came to be used by the Bush administration to define the campaign. While "war on terror" was never used as a formal designation of U.S. operations, a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal was and is issued by the U.S. Armed Forces . As of 2024, various global operations in
19180-607: Was killed during a U.S. military raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan . The War in Afghanistan continued for another eight years until the agreement was made in February 2020 for American and NATO troops to withdraw from the country . Excluding the hijackers, the attacks killed 2,977 people, injured thousands more and gave rise to substantial long-term health consequences while also causing at least $ 10 billion in infrastructure and property damage. It remains
19320-492: Was over, saying that the U.S. would not wage war against a tactic but would instead focus on a specific group of terrorist networks. Other American military campaigns during the 2010s have also been considered part of the "war on terror" by individuals and the media. The rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria during 2014–2015 led to the global Operation Inherent Resolve , and an international campaign to destroy
19460-453: Was released stateside on October 9, with "New York City Cops" removed and replaced with the newer " When It Started " as a result of the attacks. In an act of self-censorship , American rock band Jimmy Eat World changed the title of their third album, Bleed American , to a self-titled album, after the attacks. British band Bush were forced to change the name of their single 'Speed Kills' to " The People That We Love ". They also changed
19600-809: Was the seat of the Holy Roman Empire and Habsburg monarchy , both major powers in Europe at the time. For Osama bin Laden, this was a date when the West gained some dominance over Islam, and by attacking on this date, he hoped to make a step in Islam "winning" the war for worldwide power and influence. In late 1999, al-Qaeda associate Walid bin Attash ("Khallad") contacted Mihdhar and told him to meet in Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia; Hazmi and Abu Bara al Yemeni would also be in attendance. The NSA intercepted
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