Today is the 18th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.
Washington and New York in the capital city of the abducted aircraft attacks, 2 thousand 977 people died. In addition, 19 hijackers who hijacked the planes died. More than 6,000 people were injured in the attacks.
The material damage suffered by the US economy is estimated at over $ 120 billion, while the damage caused by the attacks in New York City and its infrastructure is more than $ 60 billion.
The September 11 attacks brought about many changes in security policies and diplomacy around the world. For this reason, it is described by many as “the day the world changes”.
What happened on September 11, 2001?
In the attacks undertaken by al-Qaeda, a total of 19 hijackers hijacked four airliners taking off at about the same time. Pirates, brought with them in the cockpit with a utility knife, took control of the aircraft.
The first of these planes was the American Airlines’ 11th flight, which made the Boston-Los Angeles flight. Shortly after takeoff, the plane headed for New York, crashing into the north tower of the World Trade Center in the south of the city.
The second flight was the flight 175 of United Airlines, which departed from Boston to Los Angeles. This plane hit the southern tower of the World Trade Center 17 minutes after the first.
After the collision of the planes, a fire broke out in the towers and after about two hours both towers were destroyed by leaving 1.8 million tons of debris. Shortly after the second plane crashed into the tower, US President George W. Bush, who made the statement, described the incident as a “terrorist attack”.
A few minutes after this announcement, American Airlines’ flight 77, which departs for Washington-Los Angeles flight 77, entered the west side of the US Department of Defense (Pentagon). The fourth flight hijacked was the flight 93 of United Airlines departing from New Jersey to San Francisco. Shortly after takeoff, the plane crashed into an empty field in the state of Pennsylvania.
It was claimed that the passengers inside the plane fell due to a melee when they tried to stop the attackers because they were aware of other attacks. However, the plane was shot down by US Air Force jets after other attacks and was among the claims put forward later.
Khaled Shaykh Muhammad and Remzi bin al-Shibh, who have been in prison in Guantanomo for a long time on charges of plotting the September 11 attacks and being tried in the United States, said the target of the last plane was the US Congress building.
How did the world react?
Almost every country, including Iraq, including countries that do not have a diplomatic relationship with the United States, declared their support for the US after the attacks.
“American cowboys are reaping the fruits of their crimes against humanity,” Iraq said in a statement. The Palestinian Authority, Afghanistan and Iran also gave a message of solidarity following the attacks.
Article 5 of the NATO Charter stating that an attack on one member would be made to all members was put into force for the first time. The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) condemned the attacks and declared that it was ready to take any military action “in the fight against terrorism”.
What did the US do?
Following the attacks, a number of significant changes in foreign and domestic policy were introduced in the United States. For the first time in the history of the United States, the country’s airspace was shut down and about 500 flights in the air during the attacks were returned to their departure point or redirected to other countries.
The state of emergency declared immediately after the attacks is still in force. The Ministry of Homeland Security was established, a law called PATRIOT was enacted, the steps to be taken on the “fight against terrorism” were detailed and the powers of the National Security Agency (NSA) were expanded.
On the island of Guantanamo, a prison called “illegal enemy fighters” was established. It turns out that both here and thereafter, the CIA has been subjected to torture inquiries against alleged al-Qaeda affiliates in different parts of the world.
After the attacks, the September 11 Research Commission, established in Congress, concluded that there was a serious intelligence vulnerability. The US intelligence system was then restructured.
Following the September 11 attacks, US foreign policy focused on the acceptance of countries that did not support their struggle against al-Qaeda as enemies. In a statement shortly after the attack, President Bush described Iran, Iraq and North Korea as the “axis of evil.”
The US invaded Afghanistan and then Iraq within the scope of the “fight against terrorism” strategy. While nationalism is on the rise in the United States, a report released by the FBI in 2014 showed that while hate crimes fell compared to 2001, there was an increase in crimes against Muslims.
In a report published by the think tank PEW in 2017, the attacks against Muslims increased by 50 percent in the last 15 years following the September 11 attacks.
What else has changed?
The most important changes include tightening security measures at airports and civil aviation. Cockpit doors have been redesigned to make it difficult to open.
The civil aviation sector has entered a severe economic crisis. While some major airlines were shutting down, the US Congress had to provide $15 billion in financial aid for the industry to survive. Not only in the United States, but in many parts of the world, the security measures of public buildings and crowded places have been increased.
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