September 11, 2001, the day that changed the United States forever. Two passenger planes hijacked by al-Qaeda terrorists (a terrorist organization banned in Russia ) crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York. Another liner crashed into the Pentagon, and the fourth crashed in Pennsylvania. To take revenge on the organizers of the terrorist attack and prevent new tragedies, the United States launched a large-scale campaign to combat terrorism. Lenta.ru spoke with eyewitnesses of the terrorist attacks and the military who served in Afghanistan to find out how the events of September 11 changed the world forever and why the fight against terrorism did not bring the desired result.
The tragedy of an entire nation
Although two decades have passed since the disaster, which killed almost three thousand people, memories of a series of terrorist attacks still excite the public. Airplanes crash into skyscrapers, people jump out of windows, everything around is on fire – these shots are forever engraved in the memory of the Americans who had to survive that day.
Lawyer and charity member Anne-Marie Principé, who miraculously survived the attack, remembers that the morning of September 11 was clear and sunny. When the first plane – an American Airlines flight hijacked by terrorists – hit the first building at 8:46, she didn't even know what had happened. Ann-Marie saw only a second plane, a United Airlines flight, crashing into the second tower at 9:03 am. “At that moment I realized that this was not an accident. It was a real attack, ”says the survivor.
18,000
human
could be in the buildings of the World Trade Center at the time of the attack
Most of those inside were evacuated before the collapse. Many returned back, straight to the hell: they wanted to save those who could not get out. Some eyewitnesses recall: time seemed to have stopped, debris, dust and people flying down from the windows froze in the air …
At 9:58, the South Tower collapsed, half an hour later, at 10:28, – The North Tower
The buildings of the towers folded under their own weight, like houses of cards, turning into mass graves. 2,066 people died in New York that day. In total, the terrorist attacks claimed the lives of 2,977 people (not counting the terrorists). 412 of them were emergency workers.
“I remember how I made my way through a cloud of dust and ash, past debris and human bodies … I looked around and drew an imaginary line: on the one hand, those who can still survive, on the other, corpses,” recalls a firefighter employee service of Adrianne Walsh, who took part in the rescue operation and witnessed the collapse of the North Tower.
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The result of the tragedy 20 years ago, which occurred on a sunny morning in New York, was another tragedy on the other side of the world. It is unlikely that the US authorities expected that an attempt to avenge 9/11 would result in even greater losses, otherwise they would not have sent troops into Afghanistan.
To be fair, it is also wrong to say that the campaign was in vain: a whole generation of Afghans have learned what democracy is and will now be able to fight for it. In addition, the formal goal of military intervention has been achieved – Osama bin Laden is dead, and the terrorists do not dare to attack the United States again.
However, it is impossible to shake off the feeling that the bloodshed could have been avoided, says Klikman.
For 24 years of service, Klikman managed to visit other hot spots, for example, Iraq. He admitted that he was tired of the war. He is now a deacon in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina.
Other Afghan veterans are choosing different ways to deal with the memories of the horrors of war. For example, using alcohol or drugs. Matt Smith said that in this way some veterans are trying to return to normal life: many suffer from PTSD and depression.
According to the Costs of War Project, since 2001, four times as many US troops have died as a result of suicide than on the battlefield: 30,177 versus 7,057.
“Disability, traumatic brain injury, other diseases and disorders all affect how quickly a person can return to normal life,” explained Smith. Because of such diseases, the impact of the 20-year Afghan war will be felt for years to come.
“I often ask myself: why have we spent 20 years in this country? Why did our soldiers die, why do veterans commit suicide and suffer from mental disorders? And I cannot find the answer. 20 years of getting things right was wasted. Why did Bush send troops there at all? Couldn't he have killed bin Laden without it? ” – Weisman argues.
