President Donald Trump affirmed on Friday that the United States would never forget the nine eleven, 2001 terrorist attacks, suggesting that 25 years later, the nation remains engaged in a broader conflict involving Iran as part of the ongoing war on terror.
Speaking at the Pentagon after foregoing the primary 9/11 memorial ceremonies in New York, the Republican leader criticized domestic “fanatics” in an apparent reference to political opponents.
“Today we renew the sacred oath that we first swore in their names a quarter of a century ago. We will never, ever forget. That’s why we fight today,” Trump said in a speech.
“We don’t have a choice. There can only be victory. We fight hard. We fight to win,” added the president, who was accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump.
During the nine eleven commemoration at the Pentagon in Washington, a single bell tolled as the names of the 184 victims killed when a hijacked plane struck the building were read aloud.
Historically, U.S. presidents have observed major anniversaries by visiting multiple key memorial sites, including New York City, where the majority of the 2,977 victims died in the World Trade Center attacks.
In his remarks, Trump drew a direct line between the ongoing seven-month U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran and the global anti-terrorism campaign initiated by former Republican President George W. Bush.
“Today we salute every member of the United States military who served in the ‘War on Terror.’ It is a war on sick, horrible terror,” Trump said.
“And we salute the service members working right now to ensure the world’s number one sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran, will never ever have a nuclear weapon.”
Backstory…
The nine eleven (9/11) attacks refer to a series of four coordinated suicide strikes executed by the terrorist group al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001.
Nineteen hijackers commandeered four commercial airliners during the operation. Two of the aircraft were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, precipitating their eventual collapse. A third plane struck the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., while the fourth crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers intervened to counter the hijackers.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed on the day of the attacks, with numerous subsequent deaths recorded due to toxic dust exposure and related health conditions.
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