(VOVworld) – The US has commemorated the 15th anniversary of the bloodiest terrorist attacks in its history on September 11, 2001, which claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people. 15 years after the attacks, the US government continues to boost its anti-terrorism efforts, but the American people don’t feel any more secured.
World Trade Center in New York was attacked- Photo: Telegraph |
On September 11, 2001, hijackers took control of 4 commercial airliners and crashed them into the world trade center in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and an area near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Terrorist leader Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attacks. The September 11 attacks were a tragic milestone in US and world history which has had long-term consequences. Following the attacks, the US government launched a worldwide anti-terrorism operation, starting in Afghanistan. A number of other countries joined the US-led war against terrorism. In May 2011, an American task force killed Osama bin Laden during a raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan. But the war with terrorism didn’t end there. Anti-terrorism budget have continued to increase. Since the September 11 attacks, the US has spent 3.6 trillion USD on national security. The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University has reported that expenditures on national security rose to 300 billion USD in 2015. If the spending estimate for 2017 is included, total spending for the fight against terrorism will reach 4.79 trillion USD.
Spending trillions has not made Americans feel secure. A recent survey conducted by Chicago’s Council for World Affairs showed that 42% of Americans now feel less secure than before the September 11 attacks. The figure was 27% in a similar survey in 2014.
While the US seeks more effective ways to wipe out terrorism, Europe has borne the brunt of terror attacks carried out by IS, a branch of the Al Qeada network. Germany, France, and Belgium once relatively safe countries, have become targets of terror. The West agrees that IS posed the most dangerous threat yet, having recruited thousands of fighters from more than 100 countries.
Addressing the 15th commemoration of the September 11 attacks, US President Barack Obama called on the US to stay united in the face of terror attacks and said Americans will never give in to fear. He said the US is committed to wiping out terrorist groups like the Al Qaeda and IS.