On an average sunny tuesday in 2001, the United States experienced a multiple hijacking attack for the first time. Aboard four jetliners were nineteen Islamic extremists, plotting to demolish symbolic American buildings and kill thousands of civilians. Unfortunately, the terrorists succeeded in killing 2,977 people and taking down three of the four targeted Iconic structures, but heroes on Flight 93 crashed their plane before it could hit Washington. In Manhattan, where two towers collapsed, the workers of the city spent 24 hours 7 days a week clearing debris.
"America had suffered surprise attacks before Pearl Harbor is one well-known case, the 1950 Chinese attack in Korea another. But these were attacks by major powers". Perhaps one of the most devastating aspects of the September 11th attacks was that they came from an unlikely country with a lack of assets and little worldly power. The few members of a cult-like organization that led the invasions were mainly radical young men without an acceptable home. However, it is questionable as to whether the United States' government should have been prepared for tragedy, as well as whether severe threats were taken too lightly. Due to the long hard Cold War which ended in the beginning of the the 1990s, America was well-known as influential , potentially the most dominant military in the Globe at the time. As the Soviet Union's power had diminished, the United States took over in the removal of nuclear weaponry in Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan after the Bush administration had overturned the invasion of Kuwait. Also in the 1990s the United States engaged in the wars of Bosnia and Kosovo. |
Over the years, the U.S. had become potent and more and more targeted by other cultures. Between 1995 and 1999 the government focused on pillaging in the Balkans and restrictions of Serbia. But while America's attention was on Europe, the South African embassy along with the USS Cole were bombed by al-Queda, in total killing 29 Americans. Although the incidents did move Osama bin Laden into the top ten of the FBI's most wanted list, they did not initiate a sense of threat big enough to generate fear of an event like 9/11. In the 2000 election, media called little if any attention to terrorism. Hence, al-Queda had the element of surprise on their side.
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To the side is an image of the 19 hijackers on the four planes in 9/11. On Flight 11 were Saudi Arabians Abdulaziz al-Omari, Wail al-Shehri, Waleed al-Shehri, Satam al-Suqami and Egyptian Mohammad Atta. On Flight 175 United Arab Emirates Marwan al-Shehhi and Fayez Banihammad and Saudi Arabians Mohand al-Shehri and Ahmed al-Ghamdi took over. Saudi Arabians Hani Honjour, Khalid al-Mihdhar, Majed Moqed, Nawaf al-Hazmi, and Salem al-Hazmi gained control of Flight 77. Finally, Saudi Arabians Ahmed al-Haznawi, Ahmed al-Nami and Saeed al-Ghamdi along with Lebanese Ziad Jarrah hijacked Flight 93.
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